A police officer who took his own life after becoming disillusioned with his job had refused to undertake mental health counselling with the force for fear his reputation would be tarnished, an inquest has heard.
Senior Constable Anthony Fyfe died at home on June 20, 2021 after drinking heavily amid bouts of depression following a series of on-the-job incidents that threatened his safety.
The 27-year-old was prescribed antidepressant medication, which he took irregularly, and his family and friends had made numerous pleas for him to seek mental health support after he told his father he was having suicidal thoughts.
"Mr Fyfe made it clear to his loved ones that he did not want to involve the police force in pursuing any mental health assistance," counsel assisting Sarah Tyler told the Coroner’s Court of Western Australia on Tuesday.
Mr Fyfe’s father suggested reaching out to the police employee assistance program. Mr Fyfe refused, saying there was a stigma attached to doing so.
The constable did, however, tell his family that he was seeing a psychologist, who diagnosed him with major depression.
It came after a series of incidents that left Mr Fyfe questioning whether he wanted to remain a member of the force, including responding to the death of a baby, and a family violence incident where he was hit in the face.
"The person said to have struck Mr Fyfe was found not guilty after trial," Ms Tyler told State Coroner Rosalinda Fogliani.
In November 2020, the officer was spat on as he attempted to arrest an offender.
"Saliva entered Mr Fyfe’s mouth," Ms Tyler said.
He was forced to undergo blood screen testing and quarantined for two weeks due to COVID-19 laws amid the global pandemic.
"While quarantined, Mr Fyfe (again) expressed to his family his disillusionment with the police force," Ms Tyler said.
On the evening of June 19, 2021, Mr Fyfe drank whiskey alone at his home while exchanging text messages with his parents, his girlfriend and ex-partner.
In the early hours of the next morning, he told his father that he’d stopped taking his antidepressant medication because it impacted his libido.
Mr Fyfe then sent a message to his mother saying he couldn’t live his life on medication.
The next morning, his parents and partner sent messages to Mr Fyfe, but he did not respond.
By the afternoon, Mr Fyfe’s parents drove to their son's home address, and his father used his key to go inside.
He found Mr Fyfe's lifeless body in his computer gaming chair in his study.
A post-mortem showed very high levels of alcohol in Mr Fyfe’s system.
A police investigation did not identify any evidence to suggest another person was involved in the death.
During that investigation, it became apparent that the police force did not hold any information about the officer's reported mental health issues.
The inquest continues.
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