The sudden and tragic death of Adrian Howe, a dedicated Vodafone employee, sent shockwaves through his family and community. Known for his fondness for fishing trips with his son, Adrian was found drowned in a lake—a place that had been a haven for him.

Adrian, a father of five and a seasoned professional with over two decades at the telecom giant, was initially thought to have drowned due to an underlying heart condition. His passing came at a particularly poignant time, just days before he was set to embark on a new business venture by opening two Vodafone franchise stores in Irvine and Kilmarnock.

In late 2017, Adrian was offered the opportunity to become a franchisee, a career move he saw as a significant next step. This new role filled him with enthusiasm, akin to a child in a candy store, as he anticipated securing a brighter financial future for his family.

However, in the days leading up to his death, Adrian’s family revealed he had expressed concerns about the obligation to manage a second store in Kilmarnock, where he had previously served as a store manager. This responsibility seemed to weigh heavily on him, casting a shadow over his initial excitement.

Initially, Adrian was beaming with excitement like a ‘kid in a candy store’ at the prospect of bettering his family’s financial future. 

But his loved ones have now claimed he raised concerns about having to take on a second store in Kilmarnock, where he was formerly a store manager, before he died.  

A sudden death report referred to a small notepad found in his home, which read: ‘1st September, nice to have death’.

His family believe this was an alleged reference to taking over the two stores as a franchisee the following day. 

Vodafone has denied that Adrian was ‘forced to take on a poorly performing store’ and that it was his choice ‘to become a franchise partner or stay a store employee’. 

However, his family have now raised questions around Adrian’s death, which they believe was suicide, as well as his dealings with the firm.  

It comes as 62 former franchisees launched a High Court claim against the £18billion telecoms firm in a case which has been likened to the Horizon IT scandal by MPs. 

Claimants have accused the firm of failing to act in ‘good faith’ when it came to how franchisees were paid. 

They allege Vodafone ‘unjustly enriched itself’ at the expense of franchisees by reducing their commission without ‘any adequate justification, process, and/or consultation’.

Meanwhile, in a similar tale told by Adrian’s family, ex-franchisees Dan Attwal and Rachael Beddow-Davison claimed the firm pressured them into taking on third stores that were failing, which they say impacted their mental health and caused suicidal thoughts. 

Meanwhile, a survey of franchisees in September 2020 found 78 out of 119 respondents were overwhelmingly critical about the effects the telecoms firm’s actions had on their mental well-being. 

Vodafone has maintained that the legal bid is a ‘commercial dispute’, and ‘refute[s] the claims’, adding that they have ‘repeatedly tried to resolve this matter’.

They also described Adrian as a ‘well-respected and long serving Vodafone employee’ whose death they ‘were saddened by’.

And his deeply cemented bond with Vodafone even shone through at his funeral with a wreath shaped like the phone company’s famed speech mark 

The firm also paid his widow, Tracey Howe, 61, an augmented payment, equivalent to a death-in-service payout. 

Adrian would not have been entitled to this sum of money, as he had to leave the company to become a franchisee weeks before. 

In hindsight, his family have suspicions concerning the benevolent gesture. Vodafone firm ‘firmly reject[s]’ any suggestion that the payment was not ‘made in good faith’.

The father’s death certificate states he died from drowning with an underlying heart condition – ischaemic and hypertensive heart disease being listed as a potential contributing factor.

A post-mortem into Adrian’s death suggested his heart disease was a potential factor in his death and that he had a ‘history of anxiety and depression [in 1995]’, . 

Adrian was also ‘a bit stressed’ in the run-up to starting his new business, the forensic pathologist concluded. 

And although impossible to know exactly what was on Adrian’s mind that morning, a message on a notepad indicated the burden was more than business stress.

A note discovered in his home read: ‘1st September, nice to have death,’ the post-mortem report stated – an alleged reference to the opening of his stores the next day, 

His eldest son, Dan, 42, told the Daily Mail: ‘There are still answers we are looking for. How he got there [to the lake]. His jacket was folded up at the side with his keys and phone.

‘My dad’s just had a bike accident 10 days before. He had stitches and bruises down his leg, and he was on crutches. It was about five degrees outside.

‘Like we say, he did not go there to go for a swim.’ 

And in the days before his death, Dan had a conversation with his father, who was described as a ‘salt of the earth’ man, which sparked concern. 

‘I thought I was going to have a nice conversation [with my Dad],’ he said. ‘He was talking about the Vodafone business.

‘He said basically, “It’s not going to work” and “Vodafone have got me by the balls”. 

‘I said, “What do you mean they’ve got you by the balls?” and he said [in reference to his agreement with Vodafone], “Honestly, there’s no getting around it.”‘

His father told him the firm was making it ‘physically impossible’ for him to take on just one store and that he would have to take on a second. 

Dan recalled responding to Adrian in jest, not to hurt himself or do anything rash.

‘Dad’s response to that usually would be, stop being an idiot. But it was just utter silence. And all I remember him saying is, “I’ve got to go”.’

Meanwhile, Adrian had confided in his sister Gillian Daley, 63, and raised concerns about a personal guarantee agreement he had signed with Vodafone. 

After previously confessing to his son he could not afford to take on both Vodafone stores, he told his sister he could ‘lose everything’. 

He told Gillian that as part of the PG agreement in becoming a Vodafone franchisee, his family home would be on the line. 

The Daily Mail has seen the agreement for the store in Irvine, but not the second contract in Kilmarnock.  

Vodafone was unable to share further information on the Kilmarnock agreement but said Adrian would have had to sign a separate guarantee for the second store. 

The agreement is standard practice for franchising and franchisors, the telecoms firm said. 

It is understood this usually requires proof of funds, minimum net worth and liquidity thresholds and often a personal or corporate guarantee. 

Legal advice is also required before a signature can be given and that prospective franchisees are not compelled to proceed with the process.

‘He said, “If it goes t**s up, I am going to lose everything”,’ Gillian added. ‘I asked, “Is it likely to go t**s up? And he said “I don’t know.

“But if it does, I’ll lose the house,” he said, “It is not just my house, it is Tracy’s home, it’s Nathan’s home”.’

Gillian recalled attempting to reassure her brother, saying there was ‘surely’ some sort of ‘cooling off period’. But he responded that the matter had ‘gone beyond that’ 

His sister also said he asked to borrow between £10,000 and £15,000, an amount of money she did not have. 

It is understood he also would have remained a Vodafone employee until a franchisee partner took over. But his family say he felt this would decrease his job security. 

Meanwhile, emails discovered by his daughter Kirsty-Anne reveal Adrian had managed to amass £48,000 in a bid to fund the stores.

However, she explained the amount was not enough to fund one third of the operational costs needed for the first store, as well as the financial backing for a second. 

Around a week after Adrian’s conversation with Dan, the day after his son Nathan’s 18th birthday, the ‘safety freak’ father veered into oncoming traffic while cycling. 

‘I took the p**s out of him for years because of all the things he used to do to make sure he was safe,’ his daughter Kirsty-Anne said.

‘He would go out with his high vis, his helmet and trousers tucked into his socks. But that day he never had a helmet – that was something he would have never done.’ 

Meanwhile, his adoring wife Tracey believed Adrian’s worry and stress before his death were due to having to open the stores while recovering from his cycling injury. 

And in the early hours of August 27, 2018, she expected to return from her A&E to find her beloved husband snuggled up in bed – but he was not there. 

‘Then I realised, he was not in the bed,’ Tracey said as she explained his car was in the driveway, so she believed he may have fallen trying to carry the water tank. 

And when she searched the rear of the property, she could still not find him. 

‘I rang his phone, and it just rang and rang. I just thought “Oh my god, where are you”, and shouted to my neighbour and then phoned the police.’ 

Kirsty-Anne added: ‘Unbeknownst to Mum, though, at that point, they’d already discovered the body in the water, but they didn’t know who he was at that point.’

Shortly later, an officer arrived at Tracey’s home and broke the devastating news.  

‘[The police officer] came back in five or six minutes later, and said “We found him”.

‘I responded, “Oh, thank God! Where was he? Has he fallen somewhere? Is he lying up against a wall, or a hedge or something?”

‘And that’s when he told me he was dead. I don’t think I’ll ever get over the trauma. It’s affected me greatly over the years.

‘It leaves you a lot of confusion and heartache, you just can’t even describe to anyone.’

Now the family is calling for a change to the law for better protections for franchisees and is backing a High Court claim as they believe Vodafone ‘needs to be held accountable’. 

‘The laws just need to be changed so this never happens again, and we want them to be sorry for what they have done to us as a family. 

‘You know, we’ve missed out on many, many years that he should have had left with us.

‘I hope that it never is allowed to happen to any other family to put them through the horror that we’ve been put through in the last seven and a half years,’ Tracey added.

‘No amount of money, or, you know, can ever bring my Dad back. It can never fix our problem

‘We feel really humble that [the claimants] are helping us out in this way, in this manner, you know, because without them, we wouldn’t have these jigsaw pieces.’ 

A spokesman for Vodafone UK said: ‘We were saddened by Adrian Howe’s death in 2018, and our sympathies remain with his family and loved ones. 

‘Adrian Howe was a well-respected and long serving Vodafone employee and our payment to his family was made in good faith. We firmly reject any other suggestion.

‘It is also not true to say that Adrian Howe was forced to take on a poorly performing store. The choice was his to become a franchise partner or stay a store employee.

‘Where individuals do choose to take on franchise stores, Vodafone – as a responsible business, requires prospective partners to demonstrate they have access to three months operating costs to ensure they have sufficient cashflow to be able to successfully run the business.’

Of the High Court claim, they said: ‘This is a commercial dispute and we refute the claims. 

‘This said, we have repeatedly tried to resolve this matter and offered what we feel is a significant payment. 

‘Our offer was rejected by the lawyers for the company funding the claim. We remain open to further talks.’