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Last updated 12:02, Wednesday, 13 August 2008
A BARROW submarine designer killed himself after secretly running up massive debts.
Phil Holland, who had worked on the Royal Navy sub HMS Vanguard, leapt to his death from a cliff in Newquay, Cornwall.
Mr Holland, 53, of Yeovil, had run up a £100,000 bill on credit cards without his family knowing.
Even his wife Valerie had no idea of his financial trouble.
The couple had recently returned from holidaying in Malta when Mr Holland left home, writing his wife a note saying he was needed at work.
Mr Holland travelled to the north Cornwall coast and booked into a bed and breakfast for two nights.
On January 5, he threw himself 100ft to his death from Barrowfields Cliffs after nearby hotel staff saw him behaving oddly close to the cliff edge.
A walker found spectacles, keys and coins on a bench and Mr Holland’s body was recovered by coastguards.
Coroner Andrew Cox recorded a verdict of suicide.
His wife told Mr Cox she had no idea of the financial difficulties.
Son, Steve Holland, a 30-year-old council worker, said he could not accept that his father killed himself.
He said: ‘When you have a decent job – and dad was a project manager – even if you have a big debt, it’s not that bad.”
He said he remained concerned about the low fence at the cliff edge where his father fell.
He added: “My dad left no note and the police told us that 80 per cent of the time there is a note.”
Former Barrow shipyard staff who worked on Vanguard did not remember Mr Holland, though one thought it was possible Mr Holland worked out in a design office in the south of England, rather than at Barrow.
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