TWO teen parents died in a suspected suicide pact after they were both arrested on suspicion of possessing an indecent image of a child.

Katherine Powell, 17, and Jack Williams, 18, were held on January 19, 2022, before being released on bail.
Katherine and Jack were discovered at a nature reserveCredit: BNPS
 
The couple died in a suspected suicide plotCredit: BNPS
The pair were discovered hanged at Bothenhampton Nature Reserve six days later.

Brendan Allen, the area coroner for Dorset, confirmed the couple’s child was not the subject of the image and said it was “an allegation only”.

He told the jury: “No criminal charges were brought against Jack. This is relevant to your consideration because of the risk assessments that flow from such an arrest and the elevated risk of self-harm and suicide.

“The fact of the arrest must not prejudice you against Jack or Katie.”

The court heard Jack was first arrested on November 22, 2021, on suspicion of possessing an indecent image.

He was re-arrested with Katherine on January 19, 2022, jurors were told.

She was reported missing by her family three days later, followed by an appeal from Jack’s relatives on January 24.

The couple, who met at school in 2018, were found dead by a member of the public at the beauty spot on January 25, 2022.

Jurors were told that during the first Covid lockdown in May 2020, Jack had moved into rented accommodation.

Katherine stayed there three nights each week before the pair moved in together in West Bay, Dorset, in January 2021 when she fell pregnant.

A referral was made to children’s services and following his first arrest, Jack was released on bail on the condition he was not in contact with the baby.

The court heard Katherine later moved back to Warwickshire after telling a social worker “details of her relationship with Jack which were consistent with her being a victim of controlling and coercive behaviour”.

Mr Allen said: “Examples being that Jack put her down and her abilities, he had isolated her from family and friends, and primed her on how to behave and what to say in front of professionals.”

After her arrest, Katherine was banned from having unsupervised contact with her child – leaving her “extremely depressed and agitated”.

On January 22, the mum took a taxi in the early hours from Warwickshire to West Bay, jurors heard.

Her dad asked police to check Jack’s home in a bid to find her, which they did four times but Katherine was not there.

Police eventually forced their way in and found a whiteboard that suggested the teen couple planned to take their own lives, it was said.

When asked if Katherine was a suicide risk, her dad replied: “To be honest, if I was in her position, it couldn’t not be in my head, she’s been through an awful lot.”

Jack’s mum Debbie Williams revealed her son had suffered with his mental health, having been diagnosed with anxiety, ADHD and autism.

She told the jury he had previously attempted to take his own life.