The result of the inquest into the death of Steve Dymond days after he appeared on The Jeremy Kyle Show has been confirmed, with presenter Jeremy Kyle releasing a statement regarding the findings.
On Tuesday, September 10, coroner Jason Pegg said at the inquest that there is ‘no causal link’ between the appearance of Dymond on The Jeremy Kyle Show and his death.
The coroner ruled out Dymond’s treatment on the ITV programme as a contributory factor to his death, stating: ‘There is insufficient evidence for me to be satisfied that this was the direct cause of Steve’s death.’
Dymond, from Portsmouth, Hampshire, was suspected to have taken his own life at the age of 63 seven days after he filmed the TV programme in May 2019.
After the result of the inquest was announced, lawyers for Kyle said in a statement: ‘His Majesty’s Coroner has today clearly and unequivocally found that Jeremy Kyle did not in any way cause or contribute to the tragic suicide of Steve Dymond. He is now exonerated of that ill-informed accusation and his name has finally been cleared.
‘Out of respect for the family of Mr Dymond and the judicial process, Jeremy has always maintained that it would be inappropriate to discuss details whilst the legal inquest was ongoing and he has remained steadfastly silent in the face of lies, false accusations and unfair criticism over the last 5 1/2 years.
‘This has taken a huge toll on him and his family and he would like to thank everyone who has truly supported him through these tough times.’
The coroner Pegg concluded at the inquest that Dymond had died by ‘suicide’, stating: ‘The deceased’s decision to take his own life was made in the context of his mental distress that was probably exacerbated by his belief that a significant relationship had now irretrievably broken down following his participation on a television programme where it had been suggested that the deceased had lied to his partner.
The coroner added that Dymond had left notes for his family, stating: ‘There is nothing in those notes where Mr Dymond is critical of his treatment by the show.’
Pegg dismissed The Jeremy Kyle Show as a ‘direct cause of Steve Dymond’s distress’, stating: ‘These accounts are not supported with any independent expert evidence to evaluate the impact of his treatment on the show.
‘It would be unsafe to infer these links in the absence of a clear and reliable causal connection.
‘Steve Dymond’s participation in the show is one of a number of factors, and whilst possible that the manner experience added to his distress it is not probable.’
He continued: ‘The weight which can be attached to these accounts must be balanced with the other evidence available in the aftermath of the show including Steve Dymond’s own reliability, the evidence from witnesses and the rush recordings.
‘Aftercare records indicate Steve Dymond was ’emotionally contained’ and expressed no dissatisfaction towards his treatment during the recording with a plan for follow-up CBT support.’
The coroner added that there was ‘insufficient evidence’ to determine whether Dymond lied during the lie detector test or not.
Pegg, the area coroner for Hampshire, Portsmouth and Southampton, said: ‘The lie detector test recorded that Steve had provided an untruthful response to all questions asked of him.
‘The expert evidence within the recording noted that a failure to one question may result in failure of them all.
‘There is insufficient evidence for me to be satisfied whether or not Steve had indeed lied during the lie detector test.’
The coroner outlined that Jon Millership, a senior producer on The Jeremy Kyle Show, recognised that the accuracy of a lie detector test was ‘between 60-96%’.
He stressed: ‘It is accepted that the lie detector test cannot be considered to be wholly accurate.’
Following the conclusion of the inquest, a solicitor for Dymond’s family read a statement from his son, Carl Woolley.
The statement read: ‘It has been five years since my father died. In my view anyone watching the clips of the show would see that he was in tears, and spoken to in the most brutal way by Jeremy Kyle.
‘The coroner has recorded that the lie detector test, in which Jeremy Kyle believes in so strongly, can have an accuracy of 60-96%. The only good thing that came from my father’s death is that The Jeremy Kyle Show is cancelled.’
In a statement following the inquest, ITV said: ‘We extend our deepest sympathies to those close to Mr Dymond and recognise how difficult the inquest and the past five years have been for them.
‘The coroner did not find any causal link between Steve Dymond’s appearance on The Jeremy Kyle Show and his death.
‘In the coroner’s findings of fact he confirmed that The Jeremy Kyle Show had comprehensive duty-of-care processes covering the selection of contributors who appeared on the show and their care both during and after filming.’
The statement continued: ‘The coroner described how these processes were followed with Steve Dymond including the offer of follow up cognitive behavioural therapy support.
‘ITV is committed to continuing to evolve and strengthen the care given to all those who take part in our shows which we believe set industry leading standards for the selection, protection and support of participants.’
After being accused of cheating on his partner Jane Callaghan, from Gosport, Dymond took a lie detector test on ITV’s The Jeremy Kyle Show, which claimed that he ‘failed every single question’.
During the hearing at Winchester Coroner’s Court, distressing clips from the episode that Dymond filmed showed the moment that he was told that he failed the lie detector test, while he burst into tears and insisted that he was never unfaithful in his relationship.
The episode in question was never broadcast before the programme was subsequently cancelled completely.
On the third day of the hearing, Kyle, 59, said that his presenting style on The Jeremy Kyle Show was ‘direct, empathetic and honest’, and expressed his belief that it took ‘the right approach’.
In the clip that showed Dymond receiving his lie detector results, Kyle told him: ‘The test says you’re a liar pal.’
Dymond looked visibly shocked and upset, as he said: ‘Oh my god, I was never unfaithful,’ before talking to Callaghan off-stage and continuing to tell her that he didn’t cheat on her.
As Dymond and Callaghan both cried, Kyle stated: ‘I find it quite interesting that the studio thought you were telling the truth, I wouldn’t trust you with a chocolate button, mate. I don’t think you even know what the truth is.’
The TV presenter went on to call Dymond a ‘serial liar’, as the late guest told him through tears: ‘I’m being so straight, I am being so straight Jeremy. I’ve never been more straight than this.’
Kyle claimed that he took ‘no pleasure’ in the situation, adding to Callaghan: ‘He failed that [test] – categorically, failed that, just so you’re aware. We stand 100% by that. It’s very easy for people to sit here and say that, but we stand by that test.’
In another video, Dymond was shown talking to the polygrapher about the lie detector test, with the polygrapher explaining that it was being recorded to ‘verify that we’ve treated you fairly and the test has been done correctly’, which was ‘in case a guest ever said they weren’t treated fairly’.
In this specific footage, which was never intended to be aired, Dymond asked if the test was 99.9% accurate.
The polygrapher responded: ‘No, that’s DNA testing. Polygraphs are about 95%, between 93 and 95%. So it’s very accurate, but we’re very careful. One of the reasons we have two examiners here is that we double check all the work before it goes out.’
At the inquest into Dymond’s death, Maya Sikand KC, who is representing his family, asked Kyle if he had been ‘belittling’ over the way that he treated the latest TV show’s guest.
Sikand referenced several of Kyle’s quotes from when he was speaking to Dymond during the recording, making comments including: ‘Did it bother you that she didn’t have an orgasm or are you a typical male and do not give a toss.’
In response to whether his comments were ‘belittling’, Kyle said: ‘I wouldn’t agree with you, I would say it’s the part, from the beginning I had a joke with him, he did get upset but he wasn’t upset from the beginning, that’s the journey and that’s the way The Jeremy Kyle show was.’
Discussing the persona that he said that he created for the programme, he stated: ‘The show developed, it was a character, a part, by understanding that from day one as I keep saying, it’s conflict resolution so it involved many aspects of many stories and many different approaches.’
In court, Dymond’s son Carl Woolley claimed that Kyle ‘got the crowd to egg on, to boo at him and stuff’, he was cast as the liar before he had even spoken’.
Representatives for Kyle said that he denies asking the crowd to boo Dymond.
In court, Dymond’s final text message sent to Callaghan on May 6, 2019, was read out, which said: ‘This will be the last time I say it, I was never, never ever unfaithful to you, in all the time we were together.
‘I hope The Jeremy Kyle Show is so happy now, as to what they have done to me.
‘I did lie about my past, but not about me being a cheat, I never ever did cheat on you.
‘They are responsible for what happens now, I hope this makes good ratings for them, I bet they keep this quiet.
‘Never did I cheat on you, never, never. My final words. I did try to explain to you, but you would not listen.’
When Kyle was asked for his response to Dymond’s claim that The Jeremy Kyle was ‘responsible for what happens now’, the host replied: ‘I say that I know there was an oil tanker of text messages and WhatsApps… there’s not one that complains about my behaviour.
‘I did not create the show, I was the presenter.’
Dr Amjad Rehman said at the inquest that Dymond had attended a doctor’s appointment in March 2019 before his appearance on The Jeremy Kyle Show because he was ‘very much depressed’.
The GP said that the following month, Dymond attended another appointment with his partner and ‘insisted’ that the doctor write a letter stating that he was no longer depressed or taking mental health medication so that he could go on the ITV talk show.
Dr Amjad said that he agreed to write a letter reflecting that Dymond’s mood and appearance had improved. However, he declined to say that he was not suffering from depression.
Kyle said that he had been told that Dymond had been to his GP, and ‘his GP had written him a letter which enabled him to go on the show’, adding that it felt that a ‘double security blanket’ of checks had been conducted by the production team and the doctor’s letter.
The TV presenter said that he had not been given guidance by the production or aftercare teams on the show that he should ‘modify’ the way that he presents the programme for Dymond.
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In 2020 at the pre-inquest review, Hampshire coroner Jason Pegg said: ‘This means really, on the face of the papers, that potentially an act or omission on behalf of Jeremy Kyle may have caused or contributed to the death of Steve Dymond.’
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