Man killed himself at playing fields (From Witney Gazette)

Man killed himself at playing fields

12:43pm Thursday 14th February 2008 in Witney

A YOUNG musician hanged himself because he was not allowed to see his young son, an inquest heard.

Singer-songwriter Peter Vallance was found dead in the early morning at the edge of the playing fields in Chipping Norton, less than 24 hours after telling a friend that he was going to kill himself.

A coroner was told how the 20-year-old had been studying at a Bible college in Canada, when he discovered his ex-girlfriend had given birth to a baby boy.

Mr Vallance suspected he might be the father of Natasha Allen's son after she suddenly had the baby at her GP's surgery, having been oblivious to the fact she was pregnant.

On his return from Toronto, Mr Vallance persuaded his 19-year-old ex-partner to let him see young Brendan once. However, despite repeated attempts, he never saw the child. Friends and family said that in the run-up to his death, the young man had become increasingly upset about what he saw as a deliberate attempt to keep him away from his son.

Isobel Marshall, his girlfriend when he died, told the inquest she had also argued with him in the week before his death, because he was due to start university soon, and the couple would not see very much of each other.

In a statement to the hearing, Mr Vallance's friend Susannah Dane revealed chilling comments made by the young man hours before he died. She said late on the afternoon of Friday, September 14, 2007, she had been e-mailing and texting her friend.

Despite returning from Canada early to his home, in Lechlade, Gloucestershire, after being struck down by a virus, Mr Vallance had not overly concerned friends and family. But his father, Gordon, said his son had been unusually quiet. Mr Vallance senior was in hospital, recovering from a gall bladder operation, when his son's body was discovered at playing fields in Worcester Road, Chipping Norton, where the family had lived before moving to Gloucestershire.

Dorothy Flood, the deputy coroner for Oxfordshire, recorded a verdict of suicide.