Radiation scientist who investigated poisoning of KGB spy Alexander Litvinenko stabbed himself to death over research bungle
Dr Matthew Puncher spiralled into depression after discovering a statistical error in his work for US government studying the effects of radiation on people
A TOP scientist who investigated the poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko stabbed himself to death after realising he had miscalculated the effects of radiation on people, an inquest heard.
Dr Matthew Puncher, who worked for Public Health England at the highly-sensitive Harwell Laboratory, discovered his blunder during a meeting in Russia.
The 43-year-old had been working on a top project for the US government, studying the effects of radiation on people, when he realised he had made a mistake.
On his return to the UK he spiralled into depression following worries that he had failed in his task.
Father-of-two Mr Puncher had told colleagues he would be "better off stacking shelves in B&Q" and tried to hang himself at work with a computer cable, but it broke.
On May 4 he was found in the kitchen of his home having stabbed himself in the stomach, neck and arms with a large kitchen knife.
A second smaller knife was found in the sink and detectives investigating the horror scene described their shock at how he could have stayed conscious while inflicting the wounds on himself.
Detective Constable Rachel Carter, who analysed the scene at Mr Puncher's home in Drayton, Oxfordshire, was horrified by the injuries she saw.
She told Assistant Coroner Nicholas Graham: "It caused me some unease initially. I didn't know how he could have inflicted all those injuries on himself without losing consciousness.
"All of the disturbance was in the kitchen but on Mr and Mrs Puncher's bed were two plastic shopping bags, one inside the other, and it looked as though he had a brown leather belt around the bottom to make something he could use to suffocate himself."
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Pathologist Dr Nicholas Hunt said: "A large blood-stained kitchen knife was found in his left hand and a small kitchen knife was in the sink.
"Mr Puncher had been signed off work and confided in his wife that he had attempted to hang himself before and sustained scratches his to the face in the process.
"His GP reported he explained about the attempted suicide but was reticent about what was at the root of his depression and was referred to a mental health team.
"He had small wounds to his hands and such injuries may be seen in the context of defensive actions in a third party assault with a blade but they also may be seen in a context of self-inflicted injuries particularly if the knife becomes wetted with blood."
The inquest in Oxford also heard how redundancies and restructuring at Public Health England's premises in Harwell, near Didcot, had resulted in Mr Puncher receiving a much greater workload.
Colleague George Etherington said: "About three to five years ago we began to carry out contractual work for the American Federal Government working on risks of exposure to plutonium.
"About two to three years ago Matt was asked to take the lead and in April 2015 the restructuring was completed.
"In February 2016 he attended a meeting in Russia and when he returned he appeared to be quiet and more confined and people told me mistakes made in mathematical analysis came to light during this meeting.
"On April 27 I could see Matt was stressed and he said he had made a mistake and he thought he could be prosecuted for not meeting the contractual commitment.
"He said it was having an effect on his marriage but said his wife was very supportive but he had been having thoughts of suicide.
"I told him his fears were groundless and he would look back and wonder why he worried so much."
Mr Puncher had told other workers about the error in his paper which was rectified in an addendum but that was something he believed was a way of "fudging it."
He also told colleagues he thought he was having a nervous breakdown and his brain was not working.
The inquest heard his work had been evaluated as excellent and he was in line for a bonus.
However it was blocked by the human resources department because only a certain number of employees could get bonus payments.
Mr Puncher's wife of 16 years described him as a fantastic husband and a great father to their two children but suggested the redundancies at his workplace led to a greater workload.
She said: "Matthew was a highly intelligent man and would always help the children with their homework.
"After Christmas he slipped into depression and into a childlike state and it felt like I had to mother him.
"The last month I had with Matthew was the worst. It seemed like he stopped caring and he started spending more time alone in the bedroom.
"I was sad and shocked about how someone had changed so much in such a short space of time. I believe Matthew took his own life due to the deep depression he had fallen into."
The coroner said the previous suicide attempt and severe depression led him to believe Mr Puncher had intended to take his own life.
He said: "There were no signs of a struggle at the property and the injuries are likely to be self-inflicted.
"These were not superficial wounds. These were significant wounds that would suggest a strong intent to cause his death."
Verdict: suicide.
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