A transgender Cambridgeshire teenager took his own life after delays accessing gender affirming treatment on the NHS, a coroner's court heard today (March 29).

Jayden Lowe's death on September 22, 2018, followed the recent breakdown of a relationship he kept hidden from his parents.

The aspiring art student, of Meldreth, was born Jessica, but told doctors when he was 16 he knew from an early age he was a boy and changed his name by deed poll at the age of 17.

Despite support offered by his local GP, an inquest heard how he struggled to get help to transition on the NHS and resorted to buying hormone replacement treatment online.

His mother Claire Lowe said her son had told to her about a month before his death, he had to be referred to an adult clinic because he was turning 18.

This meant an additional two-year wait for treatment, the coroner's court heard.

An inquest heard how Jayden (pictured) resorted to funding his own transition, buying hormone treatment online.

Mother Claire said Jayden told her: "I can't carry on living like this."

She said: "That's why we allowed him to go online to seek his solution. We backed him because he was desperate. He was just living for the day he would just be a proper boy."

She also recalled how Jayden told her: "You don't deserve a trans kid, it's not fair," and she had reassured him "We don't want another kid."

She said: "He thought it was unreasonable he had to live half girl, half boy. Since he started taking the testosterone we thought that things were looking up but that was maybe too little, too late."

What the inquest heard

In a statement, a specialist in gender reassignment, who Jayden had a consultation with, noted the one transition clinic in London's Tavistock Square had "extensive waiting lists, not in accordance with the NHS constitution".

He said Jayden had been on a child and adolescent waiting list for 11 months but because he was turning 18 was not eligible and would have to wait an additional two years to be seen in an adult clinic.

Jayden's art work (pictured) featured LGBT hearts.

Jayden's GP Dr Webberley said he promised the teenager medical staff would look to have him "transition medically as soon as possible" after Jayden said: "It will have a massive positive effect on my mental health."

He also noted he knew of two other youngsters who had taken their lives in similar circumstances and recommended to the coroner that "NHS services for transitioning youngsters are reviewed and waiting lists reduced".

Sitting at Huntingdon Coroner's Court, coroner Rosamund Rhodes-Kemp said the 18-year-old Long Road College student died by suicide in a "spontaneous act".

He died of multiple injuries on the line side of a railway crossing after being hit by a train.

Determining the cause of death, Mrs Rhodes-Kemp said: "The fact is he has recently been broken up a relationship and no one had been able to speak to him, but actually he has recently realised a dream of getting the hormones he wanted.

"It seems to me that Jayden did intend to take his own life. The precise thoughts that were going through his head we'll never know."

She added: "The way the NHS allocate resources is a matter for the NHS but waiting lists are clearly long."

She said she would write to Network Rail to ask for safety to be improved at the crossing where Jayden died.

Trans teen Jayden Lowe

In a statement Jayden's father Neil Lowe, recalled how his son had good grades in all his studies, was doing A-Levels, and wanted to go on to study History of Art at Oxford University.

He said from an early age Jayden wanted to be known as 'Jess' and the family were aware he was transgender.

However, long waiting lists for NHS reassignment treatment had forced the teen to "give up" and order male hormone treatment online.

Dad Neil said: "Jayden has started taking these very recently before his death."

His dad shared some images of Jayden's art work (pictured).

Mrs Rhodes-Kemp asked: "Were you concerned about the delay in transition treatment?"

The dad replied: "He did something about it so we thought everything was moving along..."

He noted his son took an overdose the previous year when he split up with his girlfriend, but said he had no awareness of the current breakup.

He  also said they had discussed Jayden's plans to apply to study foundation year art on the night of his death.

He said: "He had a happy life and I didn't have any thought he would take his own life that night.

"We talked at dinner, he said he was going to do a foundation year, and was going to pick up a push bike the following day."

He later got a text at 4.12pm from his son saying he felt ill with a stomach ache and was going for a walk.

This was the last communication he received from his son.

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