Window cleaner killed himself with giant pencil

A window cleaner died after repeatedly stabbing himself in the leg with a giant pencil.

Jeffrey Burton's body was found in a blood soaked room at his home in St Leonards with a gash to his upper right thigh and an oversized souvenir pencil covered in blood next to his ankle.

The 57-year-old, who ran his own window-cleaning business, died from loss of blood.

But last night it remained a mystery how Mr Burton had died - with a coroner admitting he was baffled as to what had happened.

An inquest at Hastings was told Mr Burton, of De Cham Road, had no history of suicide attempts and was looking forward to going on holiday.

His calendar for the next month was filled with routine appointments and arrangements to meet friends.

Mr Burton's sister, Patricia Goodsell, told the inquest the jumbo pencil had belonged to their mother, who died in 2008, and that her brother had used it in yoga-like exercises.

The victim’s only history of mental illness was a psychotic episode in 2006, when Mr Burton heard voices after returning from a holiday in Spain, and was admitted to the now-closed Woodlands mental health unit.

With no suicide note, his death on September 27 remains a mystery to family and friends.

Mr Craze recorded an open verdict saying there was no evidence he was trying to commit suicide.

Comments(11)

East Brunswick says...
3:35pm Tue 9 Mar 10

Very sad. I thought when I read the headline that it was a joke. No joke this. Poor man.

Safeway says...
4:27pm Tue 9 Mar 10

Who wrote this?!

This article starts by saying the man killed himself, and died from loss of blood.

It goes on to say how he died is a mystery, and there was no evidence of suicide.

yorkie44 says...
4:38pm Tue 9 Mar 10

The Argus placards are even more ridiculous and turn this tragic event into a farce by missing out the word "himself".

bosshog says...
6:06pm Tue 9 Mar 10

strange man, got to be a easier way of topping yourself.

jamus77 says...
6:32pm Tue 9 Mar 10

The victim’s only history of mental illness was a psychotic episode in 2006, when Mr Burton heard voices after returning from a holiday in Spain, and was admitted to the now-closed Woodlands mental health unit.

Here lies the story....

dcsussex says...
6:44pm Tue 9 Mar 10

disgusting - this is why i stopped buying the well-overpriced-for-
its-content argus.
the newspaper stands billboards "man kills himself with giant pencil" are degrading to his family and should not have been used in this "daily sport" kind of garbage.
if you are going to go down this trashy headline route argus, expect more people to stop buying the paper!

another village idiot says...
8:11pm Tue 9 Mar 10

Suggest moderator closes comments on this immediately.

lorj says...
10:18pm Tue 9 Mar 10

dcsussex wrote:
disgusting - this is why i stopped buying the well-overpriced-for-

its-content argus.
the newspaper stands billboards "man kills himself with giant pencil" are degrading to his family and should not have been used in this "daily sport" kind of garbage.
if you are going to go down this trashy headline route argus, expect more people to stop buying the paper!
And yet you still read the articles online...

Harry Redknapp says...
11:28pm Tue 9 Mar 10

lorj wrote:
dcsussex wrote:
disgusting - this is why i stopped buying the well-overpriced-for-


its-content argus.
the newspaper stands billboards "man kills himself with giant pencil" are degrading to his family and should not have been used in this "daily sport" kind of garbage.
if you are going to go down this trashy headline route argus, expect more people to stop buying the paper!
And yet you still read the articles online...
Accurate headline for the news story, usual whiners moaning, yawn...

Darth Formby says...
12:42pm Wed 10 Mar 10

dcsussex wrote:
disgusting - this is why i stopped buying the well-overpriced-for-

its-content argus.
the newspaper stands billboards "man kills himself with giant pencil" are degrading to his family and should not have been used in this "daily sport" kind of garbage.
if you are going to go down this trashy headline route argus, expect more people to stop buying the paper!
Absolutely right!
.
I too thought this was some kind of joke when I saw the headline. Shamefull exploitation!
.
Best wishes and sympathy to family and friends.

dcsussex says...
7:46pm Wed 10 Mar 10

lorj wrote:
dcsussex wrote: disgusting - this is why i stopped buying the well-overpriced-for- its-content argus. the newspaper stands billboards "man kills himself with giant pencil" are degrading to his family and should not have been used in this "daily sport" kind of garbage. if you are going to go down this trashy headline route argus, expect more people to stop buying the paper!
And yet you still read the articles online...
yeah, i do!
my point being 40p wasted on a paper that isnt worth it for its content.

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