“He was a very happy, extroverted, normal boy.” Parents of gambling addict who took his own life say state failed him.

Jack Ritchie was just 24 when he took his own life after years of battling a gambling addiction.

Now his parents want the inquest into his death to examine the extent to which the Government failed in their duty to adequately safeguard Jack’s right to life – something which their lawyers say is guaranteed under the European Convention on Human Rights.

The government is soon expected to announce a review of gambling legislation.