Being a dad means protecting, providing, and ensuring your kids feel secure. But what happens when the system you trust falls short?
Phillip Herron’s story is more than just tragic — it’s a jarring wake-up call about what can happen when an overwhelmed parent is left to face debt, anxiety, and the deafening silence from those who should have been there to help.
A source of struggle
Phillip Herron, a factory worker and devoted single father of three from Durham, England, had just $6 in his bank account when he tragically took his life in 2019.
He was only 34 years old.
What led to this? He was forced to endure weeks of waiting for his first Universal Credit payment — a wait that proved unbearably long, painfully harsh, and ultimately devastating.
Universal Credit is a UK government welfare program designed to streamline six older benefits into a single monthly payment. The goal was to simplify the system and encourage people to seek employment. But for many, it’s become a source of unimaginable hardship.
Like so many others struggling financially, Phillip Herron was overwhelmed by debt when he discreetly applied for Universal Credit — never revealing to his family just how dire his situation had become.
The 34-year-old father, unemployed and barely able to provide for his children, was falling behind on rent and drowning in nearly $25,000 of debt, including payday loans with exorbitant interest rates exceeding 1,000%.
“The Breaking Point”
Like countless others, he turned to the UK’s Universal Credit system for support. What he received instead was silence, delays, and growing debt.
Launched by the UK government in 2013, Universal Credit was promoted as a simplified benefits system. However, beneath the political promises lies a much bleaker truth. New claimants face a mandatory five-week wait — at the very least — before receiving any financial assistance. For those already in desperate situations, this delay can be devastating.
“When people reach out for help, they’re already in a desperate place,” said Phillip’s mother, Sheena Derbyshire. “For them to be left waiting this long? It’s just dangerous.”
For Phillip, the prolonged wait and mounting pressure became too much to handle.
“There’s no excuse for such a long delay. Phillip had his struggles, but I truly believe this was the breaking point,” Sheena explained.
A Complete Shock to His Family
Just hours before his tragic death, Phillip shared a devastating selfie, tears streaming down his face inside his car. Along with it, he left a farewell message.
The following day, he took his life on a quiet country road.
His mother, Sheena Derbyshire, was left reeling. “It was an utter shock,” she shared with the Daily Mirror. “We had no idea how deep his struggles ran. In his note, he wrote that the family would be better off without him. That shattered me.”
After his passing, Sheena uncovered the full extent of his situation: Phillip was buried under mountains of debt to banks and utility companies. His house was about to be repossessed. An eviction notice was hidden in his piles of paperwork.
Sheena painstakingly went through his emails and voice messages. The recordings were especially heart-wrenching. “Listening to them,” she recalled, “was the most devastating thing I’ve ever done.”
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His children were equally devastated. “The youngest keeps dreaming about him,” Sheena said quietly. “She told me she saw him. She begged him not to leave. But when she woke up, he was gone.”
None of the children received any counseling, Sheena said.
The public outrage was immediate. Social media erupted with sorrow and fury once Phillip’s story came to light. One post expressed it perfectly: “Another life lost at their hands, blood-stained and forgotten.” Another one read: “Shame on you,” aimed directly at the Department for Work and Pensions.
Why She Speaks Out
Sheena believes that sharing her son’s tragic story and the profound impact it’s had on their family could help others who might be suffering in silence.
She said: “You don’t just wake up one day and decide to take your own life. There’s always a buildup.”
“So please, please talk to someone. Don’t let another family endure this. If you can’t speak to family or friends, there are organizations like Samaritans who can help.”
Back in 2019, Sheena had hoped the evidence she uncovered would lead to a full inquest into Phillip’s death in Sacriston, Co Durham, and expose the flaws in the Universal Credit system. However, it remains unclear whether she received any form of justice in the matter.
In response to the tragedy, a spokesperson for the Department for Work and Pensions commented: “Our thoughts are with Mr. Herron’s family.
“Suicide is an incredibly complex issue, and it would be inappropriate to attribute it solely to someone’s benefit claim.
“We remain committed to protecting vulnerable claimants and continually review our guidelines to ensure the highest level of safeguarding.”
Not an Isolated Tragedy
Sadly, Phillip’s story is far from unique. His death is one of many linked to the UK’s Universal Credit system, according to WSWS.org.
In 2019, Stephen Smith, a man suffering from chronic illness and weighing just six stone, was declared “fit to work” — and passed away shortly afterward.
That same year, Joy Worrall, an 81-year-old retiree, tragically took her own life by jumping into a quarry after the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) froze her pension, leaving her with just $6 to survive on.
The inquest revealed that she was “too proud” to ask for help from her family, relying on her savings to get by. When those savings ran out and she was left with only $6, she made the heart-wrenching decision to end her life in the 40-foot quarry.
Additionally, Martin John Counter, 60, took his own life after being falsely accused of benefit fraud.
Phillip’s final months reveal a picture of a man desperately trying to cling to everything—his children, his sense of self, and a life that seemed to be slipping away.
Tragically, he felt that the bureaucracy overlooked his struggles, and that neglect ultimately became fatal. In the wake of his loss, his heartbroken mother, Sheena, has a powerful plea for the British authorities:
“If this doesn’t change,” she said, “he won’t be the last.”
