A mother of three took her own life after her estranged husband told her to kill herself, an inquest in Blackburn has heard. Gemma Freeman, 45, left letters attributing her death to Alan Cooper, whom she married in 2012. The couple had a 'toxic' relationship, family members said.
Relationship described as 'toxic'
Ms Freeman met Cooper at The Millstone pub in Darwen in 2010. They became engaged on holiday in Portugal less than a year later and married at St Peter's Church in October 2012. They lived together in a new-build home in Maple Mews with their three children. The inquest heard they separated in November 2025.
On March 21, 2026, they met to discuss divorce proceedings but could not agree terms, and Ms Freeman 'walked away,' the court heard. Three days later, her mother Sheila Brooks received a call from Ms Freeman's employer after she failed to log on for a shift. Mrs Brooks said that was 'unusual' and she 'just knew something was seriously wrong.' She tragically found her daughter hanged at home. Ms Freeman had left Easter eggs for family members and letters saying she intended to take her own life 'because of Alan.'
Family testimony of abuse
Mrs Brooks told the inquest: 'It was a toxic relationship. He had been abusing her and I recognised it as psychological abuse.' Ms Freeman's daughter Lucy said Cooper, on at least one occasion, told her mother to 'kill yourself.' Lucy added: 'I saw what he did to her, he regularly abused her and it broke her.'
Ms Freeman's sister Vicky said Cooper 'would turn off the Wi-Fi and the gas when he went to work. In November 2025 she showed me pictures of bruising to her ear and head and said Alan had shoved her.' The inquest heard that in a message sent to her sister towards the end of the relationship, Ms Freeman wrote: 'He doesn't give a s*** about the damage he is doing as long as he gets to keep control.'
Police decide not to prosecute
Police launched an investigation following Ms Freeman's death. Detective Inspector Mark Reid told the inquest Cooper was interviewed under caution as detectives considered potential manslaughter. DI Reid said: 'One element of the case was about Alan's conduct. There was a question of whether that was criminal conduct.'
Coroner Kate Bisset noted the letters Ms Freeman left: 'The notes that Gemma left, certainly in her mind, attributed the relationship to the cause of her death.' She added that for a prosecution, the death 'would have to be foreseeable to the person perpetrating that abuse.' Lucy said: 'There was a terrible example of that when he told her to kill herself in no uncertain terms.'
DI Reid said the evidence 'did not cross the criminal threshold,' so police decided not to seek a prosecution. Ms Freeman's family said that decision is currently subject to a 'right to review.'
Cooper's statement and coroner's conclusion
In a statement, Cooper, who attended the inquest, said: 'Our relationship was, on the whole, good but it went from one extreme to another and there were bad times which were unbelievably bad. She was highly strung and I'm stubborn. I regret that stubbornness now.'
Returning a conclusion of suicide, the coroner told Ms Freeman's family 'the best justice for Gemma is for [them] to live happy lives.' Ms Bisset added: 'She herself attributed the relationship and its breakdown to her death.'
