heartbreaking note left by cancer sufferer and wife before they jumped off cliff together

David Jeffcock,80,and wife Susan,74,leapt from the East Cliff at Whitby Harbour on the North Yorkshire coast on July 30 (Picture: Family Handout/Daily Mail)

An elderly man crippled by the pain of cancer left a heartbreaking note behind before he and his wife jumped to their deaths from a cliff.

David Jeffcock,held hands before leaping from the East Cliff at Whitby Harbour on the North Yorkshire coast on July 30.

Their heartbroken family have now revealed David had been worn down by the constant pain brought about by bone cancer.

His nephew,Kevin Shepherd,65,said he believes the couple had been planning their suicide pact for some time.

Speaking to the Daily Mail,he said David and Susan were ‘completely devoted to each other’.

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Start your day informed with Metro's News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens.David,a retired taxi and bus driver,was once a cheerful and outgoing man,but his illness had left him ‘withdrawn and clearly struggling with the pain’.With no children to call on for support,his care fell solely upon Susan,who looked on powerless as her husband of 52 years deteriorated.When David decided the pain was too much to bear any longer,his wife insisted she could not go on without him,Kevin believes.David and Susan had been married for more than 50 years (Picture: Family Handout/Daily Mail)He told the Mail: ‘It is extremely sad to think of them in that position,where they both wanted to take their own lives and go together.‘But a friend of mine reminded me that they had made up their own minds and they did what they wanted to do,which brings some comfort,it was their own decision.’After settling their affairs and cleaning up their apartment,David slipped a letter through the door of his solicitor’s office.In it he apologised for any shock its contents might cause,but added: ‘Susan wants to come with me.’Kevin said: ‘I suppose she just didn’t see what her life would be without him.’Inquests into their deaths were opened and adjourned this week.The couple were found at the base of East Cliff,in Whitby,on July 30 (Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto)Senior North Yorkshire Coroner Jon Heath told the brief hearings in Northallerton the couple were found at the base of East Cliff,on July 30.He described how the pair,who were from Whitby,were found dead and the provisional cause of their deaths has been recorded as ‘multi-trauma’. No further details were given.Mr Heath adjourned both inquests to a date to be fixed.No family members were in court.In July,North Yorkshire Police described how emergency services teams were alerted after a member of the public called the police at 7.16pm after spotting a man and woman on the rocks.With the tide coming in fast,the coastguard coordinated a helicopter recovery to ambulance crews near Whitby Abbey,officers said.

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