SUICIDE TRAGEDY OF BRISCO 'DRIFTER'

By Kat Ferguson and Stephen Meredith

A CARLISLE man believed to have committed suicide in a field near the M6 may have tried to take his life less than a week earlier at the same secluded spot.

The body of Nicholas Mark Jennings, who was known to friends and relatives as Mark, was found by a man walking his dog in woods near Wreay, off the M6 at Junction 42, on Sunday.

Police say it is likely the 44-year-old’s body was in the field, around one mile from the Golden Fleece roundabout, for around two weeks before it was discovered.

Mr Jennings, whose parents used to run a bed and breakfast business in Brisco – less than a mile from where his body was found – was described by people who knew him as a bit of a “drifter”.

His father died several years ago but his mother still lives in Brisco. It is believed she is staying with her daughter in the North East.

One of her neighbours told the News & Star today: “I believe he tried to commit suicide a few weeks earlier at the same spot.

“Mark used to stay here, there and everywhere. He lived at several different addresses in Carlisle over the past few years and often stayed with friends.

“He had a few jobs but didn’t stay in them too long. I don’t think he was too happy with his life.”

Police are treating the incident as a sudden death, but do not believe there are any suspicious circumstances.

A Cumbria Police spokesman said: “The area where the body was found is quite remote. There are picnic tables in the area. People tend to walk along the nearby beck but don’t often go into the trees.

“It was a chance discovery. We would imagine the walker’s dog ran off into the trees and he followed it and found the body.”