Fiancé ended kidney treatment & died when childhood sweetheart took her own life after botched police raid

Craig Jackson, who received a kidney transplant from his father in 2017, stopped dialysis treatment this year, passing away in January.

Now, his devastated family have revealed he made the decision to end treatment because he couldn’t bear to live without his late partner, Cherry Turner, who took her own life in 2022.

Cherry ended her life following a botched police raid on her house that saw Craig wrongly arrested at gunpoint.

Following the raid, Cherry developed anxiety disorder, an inquest heard.

The pair had been together since they were 13, and seeing Craig treated that way by police “had a traumatic effect on her.”

Craig’s heartbroken mother revealed he chose to end his kidney treatment as he “couldn't bear to live without his childhood sweetheart."

She told The Mirror: “'My son just decided to give up the treatment needed after the kidney transplant.

"If Cherry was still alive today, Craig would still be alive.

"I begged and begged and begged him to go for treatment. I moved into his home to look after him. He said 'Mam, I love you, but I cannot be without Cherry'."

She added: "They were childhood sweethearts, they had been together since the age of 13.

"Cherry was such a beautiful person, inside and out, she was like a daughter to me."

The inquest heard Cherry was “shaking” after the arrest, which sparked an anxiety disorder “that led to her suicide".

In the wake of the failed raid, Northumbria Police admitted they had "got the wrong man."

Craig was arrested due to mistaken identity, police said.

It took more than two months before the right man was arrested, the inquest heard.

In a statement before his death, Craig described the moment he was arrested: "I saw green dots reflecting from the wall from the armed police, dogs were barking, sirens were blaring and I was pinned to the ground."

It was just seven months after the botched raid that Cherry took her own life.

Despite quickly realising Craig was not their man, police took more than two months to let the couple know, the inquest heard.

Paul Dunn, the solicitor representing Cherry's family, told the hearing: "This was not a routine knock on the door, it was the most intrusive of searches, involving multiple police vehicles, an armed response team, all with weapons which were trained on the bodies of Cherry Turner and Craig Jackson.

"It was a full on search which we now know to have had dire consequences."

This delay contributed to Cherry’s deteriorating mental health because she felt the investigation was “not over.”

Mr Dunn added Cherry had grown fearful of the police and even believed they had bugged her house.

A family statement read: "Following the devastating loss of our beautiful Cherry Turner, our family has endured over three long years of waiting for answers.

"This week, we finally stood together at the inquest, side by side with my sister Michelle, my brother-in-law Dave, Cherry's sister Dani and her fiancé Jake, and Jacko's family, his mam Sue, dad Ian, sister Sam and their families. And Cherry and Jacko's close friends.

"Cherry's younger brother, though unable to be there, carries this grief as deeply as we all do.

"Nothing can truly put into words the pain Michelle and Dave have lived through, nor the heartbreak felt by Dani, Jake, and Cherry's younger brother.

"As a family, our lives have been changed forever."

Cherry’s family said they hope her and Craig’s story would never be forgotten.

A spokesperson for Northumbria Police said: "We conducted an investigation and apologised to Cherry's family and Craig Jackson for failings identified.

"We will now take time to carefully consider the findings of the inquest."

If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please contact the Samaritans for free at 116123.