A “one in a million” man from Stourport died after becoming withdrawn, an inquest heard.
HM Assistant Coroner Sarah Murphy told an inquest into the death of Steven Paul Richards, known as ‘Stickman Steve,’ that he was born in Kidderminster, had previously been married with children and was a skilled bricklayer.
She read a statement to the court from his mother, Maureen Chambers, who described her son as an artistic person – he had tried to set up a band – and had been a “hardworking family man.”
The court was told that following a marriage breakdown, Mr Richards had struggled and remained “frustrated for years”, but later bought a property in Stourport to renovate, and had found comfort in the church with support from a local deacon.
Mr Richards also took to performing as “Stickman Steve” – a persona that had “boosted his ego”, the court heard.
In the period leading up to his death, the court was told that Mr Richards, aged 45, had been the “happiest he had been in years” and had formed a relationship with a woman he had met.
However, according to his mother’s statement, his mood was often “either really high or very low”, and he was “unable to regulate his emotions”.
The court heard that Mr Richards struggled to keep up with his mortgage payments.
The evening before his death, the court was told that Mr Richards’ girlfriend had visited him at his lodgings in Stourport, where he was staying with a friend.
The coroner said his girlfriend described Mr Richards as “very quiet” and only replying with one-word answers.
The court heard there were no concerns raised in the toxicology report following the post-mortem apart from a low trace of alcohol, which could have been post-mortem, and a trace of THC cannabis.
The court heard that Mr Richards died on May 18, 2026, as a result of “catastrophic” injuries after being struck by a freight train near Kidderminster.
The British Transport Police concluded there were no suspicious circumstances, the coroner said.
She ruled the death was suicide at Worcestershire Coroner’s Court on Tuesday, October 13.
She told the court: “I would like to extend the condolences of the court on the very sad and untimely death of Mr Richards.”
Following his death, there was an outpouring of grief from the Stourport community, with many paying tribute and describing Mr Richards as a “legend” and a “one in a million” man.
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