Nick Clegg 's arch-rival for the leadership of the Liberal Democrats was at the centre of a bitter row last night over the death of one of the party 's councillors . Tim Farron was accused by the dead man 's widow of 'betrayal ' after an inquest found that Jo Stephenson jumped from the roof of his house while suffering 'intense stress ' . Mr Stephenson , deputy leader of Cumbria County Council , fell from the three-storey property in Windermere after being vilified over new parking charges in Mr Farron 's Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency . Now Mr Stephenson ’ s widow Hilary has angrily accused Mr Farron – a former party president dubbed ‘ Saint Tim ’ because of his religious beliefs – of reneging on a deal to support her late husband over the policy . Tim Farron ( left ) was accused by Jo Stephenson 's ( centre ) widow Hilary ( right ) of 'betrayal ' after an inquest found that he jumped from the roof of his house while suffering 'intense stress ' Mr Stephenson initially survived his fall and was coherent enough to tell the paramedics that he had intended to kill himself . He died of his injuries three weeks later . The shocking sequence of events unfolded after Mr Stephenson led controversial Lib Dem plans to boost the council 's income by ending free street parking in Cumbria . Local sources claim that Mr Farron – favourite to replace Mr Clegg if the party flops in the Election – promised to support the charges in return for the exemption of Liberal Democrat-dominated parts of the county . But , according to Mrs Stephenson , when the plan provoked a furious backlash from local residents , Mr Farron stayed quiet as 59-year-old Mr Stephenson was bombarded with aggressive messages on Facebook and Twitter . 'They 'd negotiated a deal but Tim reneged on it and shoved Jo into the forefront to take the wrath , ' she told The Mail on Sunday . 'Jo would just say , 'it 's not what gentlemen do , is it ? ' But it is what politicians do . I do n't know the details of it [ the deal ] . I just know Farron reneged on it and it left Jo in a very uncomfortable position . He felt betrayed . 'When I found out that Tim Farron happened to be on holiday on the date of Jo 's funeral , I was very pleased . Would I have barred him ? Let 's just say I was very happy that the date coincided with his holiday . ' Kendal coroner 's court heard last month that in the run-up to the day on which he jumped off his roof , Mr Stephenson had been under 'considerable political pressure ' , and 'preoccupied by a culmination of matters ' . Nick Clegg 's arch-rival for the leadership of the Liberal Democrats Tim Farron ( pictured ) was at the centre of a bitter row last night over the death of one of the party 's councillors . He dialled 999 himself , telling the operator : 'Come quickly . I threw myself off the roof , I tried to kill myself . ' The deputy coroner ruled that the fall was 'no accident ' but stopped short of ruling Mr Stephenson committed suicide . Mrs Stephenson , who had two children with Mr Stephenson , does not believe her husband was suicidal but that he was so distressed by the personal attacks on him , he was not thinking properly . She recalled : ' I looked out of the bedroom window and saw an ambulance outside . I found Jo propped up against a chair talking to the paramedic on the phone . ' Last month , Mr Farron launched a thinly-veiled leadership challenge to Mr Clegg , saying he would bring the party 'back from the dead ' . The committed Christian brushed aside claims by enemies in the Clegg camp that he was a 'sanctimonious , God-bothering , treacherous little s*** ' , and vowed to revive the Lib Dems . Mrs Stephenson questioned Tim Farron 's 'saintly ' image , saying : 'He wants everyone to love him and do what he says but he is just a typical modern politician who likes to whizz around the Lakes from one photo opportunity to another . 'He may see himself as a future leader of the Lib Dems but he 's not the sort of character I would like to see in that job . ' Mrs Stephenson said her husband was 'absolutely delightful , ' adding : 'Jo did n't seek political glory , he was n't like that . ' Last night , Mr Farron , 44 , said : ' I 'm really saddened by these comments which are completely false and I strongly refute them . 'That does not change the fact that I have immense compassion for Hilary . Jo was an outstanding servant to our community and he is hugely missed . '
Jo Stephenson 's widow accused Tim Farron of betraying her late husband . He was vilified over the new parking charges in Mr Farron 's constituency . Deputy leader of Cumbria County Council fell from a three-storey property . An inquest found he jumped from the roof while suffering 'intense stress '