Carl Sargeant: Widow of Welsh politician says husband was 'shell-shocked' by allegations
At an inquest into Carl Sargeant's death, his widow recounts the moment her husband told her he was "binned" with no explanation.
Tuesday 9 July 2019 18:39, UK
The wife of Welsh politician Carl Sargeant has said he was left "shell-shocked" by allegations of inappropriate behaviour that were never properly explained to him by the Labour Party.
Mr Sargeant, 49, was found dead at his home in Connah's Quay in Flintshire in November 2017 just days after being dismissed as a minister in Cardiff.
Giving evidence at his inquest in Ruthin, Bernie Sargeant said her husband had phoned her from Cardiff after being called for a cabinet reshuffle.
She said: "I think Carl's words at first were 'I've been binned'.
"I said 'well, that's OK, love, it's fine'.
"He said something about allegations and I said 'what do you mean?' He said 'I don't know, I have got no idea'."
She explained how she and her two children then travelled to the Welsh capital to support Mr Sargeant who was alone at the flat he used in the city.
She said: "He was devastated...it was just too much....he was shell-shocked there was no clear definition of what he had supposedly done, he didn't know what to do."
Mrs Sargeant described how her husband spent much of the weekend in bed in the Cardiff flat before they decided to travel back to Connah's Quay.
On the Tuesday morning she had gone back up to bed and then came downstairs mid-morning to find her husband's body and a note that he had written.
When the coroner asked why they hadn't sought medical help before his death she said her instinct was just to support her husband by being there for him.
She said she'd confronted him about the allegations on the Saturday while they were in Cardiff.
She said: "I was direct with him on that I said have you done this?
"He said 'no'
"I still believe he hasn't done anything," she added.
She confirmed Mr Sargeant had previously been taking anti-depressant tablets but she had not been concerned he would ever take his own life.
She went on to describe the breakdown of the friendship between her husband and the man who sacked him - the former first minister and Welsh Labour leader Carwyn Jones.
Mrs Sargeant described a "lack of mutual respect" that had developed between the two men: "I think in the end Carl felt let down by Carwyn because Carl supported Carwyn to become first minister.
"He felt sometimes he was blocked, not necessarily by Carwyn, but by people in Carwyn's team."
At the inquest on Monday, Mr Jones was accused of lying under oath at the inquest over claims he made about care provided to Mr Sargeant after the dismissal.
The inquest continues.