Police arrest parents over death of OCD woman whose phobia of germs was so severe she showered for 20 HOURS a day



'She was our daughter and we loved her,' say frail couple

40-year-old constantly scrubbed hands and was too terrified to cook for herself



At 19: Samantha before the illness took over her life

An elderly couple have been arrested on suspicion of the manslaughter of their daughter who was so blighted by obsessive compulsive disorder she spent up to 20 hours a day in the shower.

Samantha Hancox, 40, was found dead in an armchair at the home she had hardly left in 18 years for fear of coming into contact with germs.

Her parents Ken and Marion Hancox dialled 999 but were later questioned for seven hours after being arrested and taken to a police station to be fingerprinted.

A post mortem examination revealed their daughter, their only child, died of dehydration and a skin infection.

Mr Hancox, 76, who has bone cancer, and his 77-year-old wife are on bail while further investigations take place into the death.

They told yesterday how their daughter, a former law student, suffered from acute obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) which left her a virtual recluse with a crippling phobia about germs.

As the condition took hold, Miss Hancox would wear socks on her hands which she scrubbed constantly. In her final years only her parents were allowed into the house to try to keep it germ-free.

Samantha studied law but left before finishing her course when her phobia worsened. In recent years, the troubled woman would shower for 20 hours a day and spent all her time cocooned in the front room watching TV

IN THE GRIP OF ANXIETY

Obsessive compulsive disorder is an anxiety-related condition in which sufferers experience repetitive images, thoughts and impulses.

The exact cause is unknown but possibilities include a decreased level of the natural chemical serotonin in the brain, a person’s genetic make-up, a depressive illness or a traumatic experience.

The impulses are often expressed through fears about personal hygiene giving rise to rituals such as rigorous washing, cleaning, counting and checking. People with OCD are usually aware of how irrational the impulses are but are powerless to stop them, leading to low self-confidence and, sometimes, a withdrawal from normal life and relationships for fear of entering situations where ‘danger’ could exist.

Between 1.2 per cent and 2 per cent of people in the UK are thought to have the condition. Well-known sufferers include David Beckham, Donald Trump and Leonardo DiCaprio.

The couple from Tipton, Sandwell, West Midlands, criticised the lack of help they were given from mental health and social services teams as they laid bare the severity of their daughter’s illness.

Mrs Hancox, who is disabled and cannot walk, said: ‘Everything had to be wrapped up. When Ken went out shopping he had to change his clothes before he could come back in or walk around in his underwear. Sometimes she would even want us to burn the clothes. There was a fog in the house from her showering.’

She added: ‘How could they arrest us? We didn’t kill her, it was the OCD. She was our daughter and we loved her.

‘We tried to get help. All these psychiatrists kept coming and all they did was assess her and went away. Occasionally she was admitted to hospital briefly, but nothing was ever done to really help her. We even wrote to Tony Blair when he was prime minister.’ She said her daughter wanted to see a psychotherapist but was told the local primary care trust did not offer that service to patients.

In her last five years Miss Hancox’s state of mind had deteriorated so much that she refused to let any medical professional visit her at home, and was too scared to leave the house herself.

Her parents, former factory workers, said their daughter began worrying about germs at ten when her grandmother, Molly, died after being admitted to hospital. An aunt had died not long before from food poisoning.

The tragic woman's disabled mother said: 'How could they arrest us? We didn't kill her, it was the OCD. She was our daughter and we loved her'

At 14, she dropped out of school and was tutored at home. Three years later her phobia led her to leave college before completing a law course.

Her parents said in her last 18 years she left the house only once other than for a hospital appointment.

They believe she ‘gave up’ fighting the condition last April after Mr Hancox went into hospital for an operation. She was terrified he would bring germs back into their three-bedroom semi-detached home.

Ken and Marion Hancox have been arrested on suspicion of the manslaughter of their daughter - who had been left housebound by a crippling phobia of germs

She went off her food, Mr Hancox said, and by the time she died the following month her once healthy size 12 body was ‘skin and bone’. The night before she died, Miss Hancox apologised to her mother for not being able to eat her meal. Mrs Hancox said: ‘I think she was trying to tell me she was going to leave me.’

A West Midlands Police spokesman said: ‘We can confirm that a 76-year-old man and a 77-year-old woman were arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and are currently on police bail, pending further inquiries.’

No spokesman for Sandwell Mental Health NHS Trust was available for comment. Sandwell Council said it could not comment due to the police investigation.