The family of an aspiring police officer who took his own life after struggling with his training say they believe he was “set up to fail”.

Anugrah Abraham, 21, from Bury, Greater Manchester, was training to become a police officer with West Yorkshire Police in Halifax when he was found dead in woodland in March 2023.

His family claimed Mr Abraham, who they called Anu, had been subjected to bullying and racism as a trainee, although this was disputed by police.

Concluding the inquest at Rochdale Coroner’s Court, Manchester North Senior Coroner Joanne Kearsley ruled that he died by suicide.

His family said he was “kind, gentle and funny”, adding that they disagreed with Ms Kearsley’s decision that his death was not preventable.

In his ruling, the coroner said: “There is no evidence that any action should have been taken which, on the balance of probabilities, would have made any difference to the tragic outcome.”

Speaking outside court, his sister, Elisheba Abraham, said in a statement on behalf of the family: “Anu was doomed to fail.

“He never received enough support, especially after he told his superiors he was considering ending his life.

“We cannot understand how and why the coroner came to this conclusion.

“Unfortunately, it is too late for Anu and our family.”

Mr Abraham began a Police Constable Apprenticeship (PCDA) which combined study at Leeds Trinity University and on-the-job training in October 2021.

His father, Amar, told the court he started having problems after April 2022, when he was posted to the Halifax police station.

The inquest heard Mr Abraham suffered from mental health problems but did not tell his family the extent of them and felt he did not want to let them down.

After complaints about Mr Abraham from another department, he had a meeting with his district manager who told him she thought he was having “a lot of difficulty with the role”.

Returning from a two-week holiday with friends, he left home early in the afternoon and was reported missing from his home at 22:50 GMT to Greater Manchester Police.

He was found dead the next day.

Ms Kearsley said the thought of returning to work “probably would have been a source of distress” for Mr Abraham.

She added that she would prepare a report on preventing future deaths to send to the National Police Chiefs’ Council on mental health challenges in policing.

Following Ms Kearsley’s decision, West Yorkshire Deputy Chief Constable Damien Miller said the force “fully respects these findings and they will be considered further by police to establish areas of further concern.” ‘future improvement’.

He added: “My thoughts are with both Anu’s family and her many friends and colleagues within and beyond the police force.

“He was universally popular and his loss is felt by many. »

The Independent Office for Police Conduct said it had conducted an investigation into the events leading to Mr Abraham’s death, but said it had found no evidence to support the claim.

In a statement they said: “The evidence does not indicate that PC Abraham was bullied while at work.

“We have identified a small number of incidents where we have advised those involved to consider how their actions might be perceived by others.

“However, this does not suggest that PC Abraham was treated less favorably than other members of his team.”

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