Jeremy Kyle has said ‘false accusations’ against him have taken ‘a huge toll’ after a coroner ruled there was ‘no causal link’ between the appearance of a guest on his show and his death.
Ex-RNLI volunteer Steve Dymond appeared on The Jeremy Kyle Show on May 2, 2019, to try to prove to his on-off partner Jane Callaghan, then 48, that he didn’t cheat on her.
The 63-year-old, from Portsmouth, Hampshire, failed a lie detector test and was found dead seven days later in the £100-a-week room he rented, having overdosed on morphine.
Coroner Jason Pegg told the inquest: ‘Having considered the evidence carefully, there is an absence of reliable evidence that demonstrates that Steve’s appearance on The Jeremy Kyle Show probably caused or contributed to his death.’
Kyle has since responded in a statement, saying his name has ‘finally been cleared’ after he remained ‘steadfastly silent in the face of lies, false accusations and unfair criticism over the last 5 1/2 years’.
Steve Dymond, pictured with his partner Jane Callaghan right, died of a suspected suicide seven days after going on the show
Jeremy Kyle has released this statement, saying his ‘name has finally been cleared’
The 63-year-old went on the show to try to prove he wasn’t cheating on fiancée Jane Callaghan (pictured)
Jeremy Kyle was seen leaving the inquest in Winchester on September 5 after giving evidence
The Winchester inquest previously heard how Mr Dymond was ‘booed’ by the audience during the filming after the test suggested he had been lying about having not cheated on his partner.
He was also slammed by on camera by presenter Kyle, who said: ‘Grow a pair of balls and tell her the God-damn truth.’ The presenter later argued he has an ’empathetic’ on-air style.
Dismissing The Jeremy Kyle Show as a ‘direct cause of Mr Dymond’s distress’, coroner Pegg said: ‘I am not satisfied that events on The Jeremy Kyle Show gave rise to a clear link that caused or contributed to the death of Steve such that I should be recording this as a contributing factor.
‘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.
‘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.’
He went on to say: ‘Steve had a history of a diagnosed personality disorder and mental illness which presented on a number of occasions before any appearance on The Jeremy Kyle Show.
‘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.’
He added that Mr Dymond had left notes for his family and said: ‘There is nothing in those notes where Mr Dymond is critical of his treatment by the show.’
The unaired clip of Mr Dymond on the show was played at the inquest
Mr Dymond, 63, died at his home from a combination of morphine overdose and left ventricular hypertrophy in his heart
Kyle told Mr Dymond to ‘grow a pair of balls and tell her the God-damn truth’, the inquest heard (stock photo)
He appears visibly upset during the show
Kyle gave evidence at the inquest, claiming he had an ’empathetic’ approach to Mr Dymond
Regarding the lie detector test Mr Dymond used on the show, coroner Pegg said there is ‘insufficient evidence’ to conclude whether or not the 63-year-old lied.
Mr Pegg told the inquest: ‘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.’
He said it was recognised by Jon Millership, a senior producer on the Jeremy Kyle show, that the accuracy of a lie detector test was ‘between 60-96%’.
‘It is accepted that the lie detector test cannot be considered to be wholly accurate.’
Kyle’s full statement reads: ‘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.’
Dismissing The Jeremy Kyle Show as a ‘direct cause of Steve Dymond’s distress’, coroner Jason Pegg said: ‘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.
‘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.’
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