Woman watched partner commit suicide on Skype

A devastated woman has told how she had to watch for ten hours as her partner died in front of her during a Skype call.

Julie Zalinksi, speaking at an inquest in Oxford, described how Adrian Rowland broke down before her eyes as he slashed his throat and wrists with a broken glass.

Rowland was 11,000km away in New Delhi when he went online to speak to Zalinksi who was at her home in Reading, UK.

She called the police who alerted the authorities in India but they were unable to prevent the 53-year-old killing himself because he refused to open his apartment door. Under Indian law emergency services are prohibited from smashing down the door.

The horrific episode occurred in November last year. ‘He was just in a complete state,’ said a tearful Zalinksi.

'He was sweating profusely and his eyes were just staring. He kept saying ‘‘they are going to get me, they are going to get me’’. He started bashing everything around in his flat.

‘He walked into the kitchen, grabbed a glass and smashed it on the table, then stuck it straight into his neck. He was holding it out to the screen,’ she said of his bloodied wrist.

‘He wanted us to see. I don’t think he realised that he was bleeding.’

Miss Zalinksi’s friend had come round to help her. ‘At that point myself and my friend just looked at one another and ran from the bedroom where the computer was and didn’t say anything to one another,’ she added.

‘We couldn’t believe what we had just seen.’

Rowland, who had worked for Jordan Grand Prix team in Britain had gone to India three weeks earlier as a consultant.

A narrative verdict was recorded.