Cherry Turner was traumatised following the incident in which her fiancé was arrested in a case of mistaken identity
08:39, 17 Sep 2025Updated 08:45, 17 Sep 2025
Cherry Turner with fiancé Craig Jackson(Image: Mirror )
A young woman took her own life after police raided her home “in error” and arrested her partner in a case of mistaken identity.
Cherry Turner, 31, died “as a consequence of the ordeal after experiencing extreme trauma”, a jury at South Tyneside Coroner’s Court found. She died on 1 July 2022, months after Northumbria Police carried out the raid on her Newcastle home “in error” and incorrectly arrested the wrong man, her partner, Craig Jackson.
Craig, who had received a kidney from his dad Ian, 62, in 2017 through a transplant, stopped taking his anti-rejection drugs and died in January this year. His heartbroken family told the Mirror he could not bear to be without his childhood sweetheart, the Mirror Online reports.
Cherry and Craig shared a home in Denton, Newcastle, which was raided by armed police on December 12, 2021, with Craig being mistaken for another man of the same name who was allegedly involved in a gun offence on Tyneside.
Cherry’s death, just eight months after Northumbria Police’s raid, came about as a result of their “error”, the inquest heard.
Her mum Michelle, 54, told the Mirror: “There was communication on the police log saying: ‘I think we have the wrong kid’.
“They had the suspect on CCTV getting out of the car. They later sent two police officers to knock on his door. With Cherry and Craig, they had riot vans, they cordoned off their street, there were guns pointing over the top of vehicles, it was worse than a movie.
“They were looking for a Craig Jackson but they got the wrong one.”
Cherry Turner tragically took her own life after police raided her home “in error”(Image: Family photo / Mirror )
Cherry’s dad David Turner, 55, said their family had been living “a life sentence of pain” ever since her death.
Craig’s mum Susan Jackson, 59, a former John Lewis worker also of Newcastle, said: “It is just terrible what they did to my son. They should be 100 percent before they go to anyone’s house with guns.
“My son just decided to give up the treatment needed after the kidney transplant. If Cherry was still alive today, Craig would still be alive.”
Recalling the last months of his life, she added: “I begged and begged and begged him to go for treatment. I moved into his home to look after him. He said ‘Mam, I love you, but I cannot be without Cherry’. They were childhood sweethearts, they had been together since the age of 13. Cherry was such a beautiful person, inside and out, she was like a daughter to me.
“Michelle and I look at each other, I think of Cherry, she thinks of my son, we are closer to them when we are together. I promised him that he would not suffer and I was there with him right to the end. I made sure that he had the best treatment.”
Describing the raid in a statement taken before his death, locksmith Craig said: “I saw green dots reflecting from the wall from the armed police, dogs were barking, sirens were blaring and I was pinned to the ground.”
Cherry Turner with fiancé Craig Jackson(Image: Mirror)
The inquest heard the police quickly realised they had arrested the wrong man. But it took them two months to notify the couple that he was no longer under investigation.
Cherry’s brother-in-law Jake Mottram said: “The police knew they’d got the wrong man the next day and should have put it right there and then. If they had, Cherry’s mental health would not have deteriorated.”
Paul Dunn, representing Ms Turner’s family, told the opening of the inquest last year: “This was the most intensive search, it involved multiple police vehicles, response teams carrying weapons trained on the bodies of Cherry Turner and Craig Jackson.
“There were police dogs present, it was a full search and we know that it led to dire consequences.”
Craig’s release ‘under investigation’ led to further anxiety for Cherry with her becoming worried if she saw a police vehicle in the area of her home.
Loved ones discussed moving home and taking Cherry away for holidays in a bid to improve her health. Cherry, who ran her own business, was found dead when police were called to the area of the Redheugh Bridge in Gateshead.
The inquest jury concluded she died as a consequence of the arrest of Craig, adding: “She experienced extreme trauma and developed anxiety disorder.”
Multiple chances were missed to bring a close to the ordeal and the jury was surprised at the lack of support for wrongful arrest victims.
Northumbria Police said after the inquest: “Our thoughts continue to be with the loved ones of Cherry Turner and all those affected by her tragic death.
“Following the activity carried out at her address, we conducted an investigation and apologised to Cherry’s family and Craig Jackson for failings identified. We will now take time to carefully consider the findings of the inquest.”