A MARSDEN man found dead at his home never got over the death of his sister, an inquest heard.
Richard Dean, 49, was discovered hanging from the attic of his home by a window cleaner on January 30.
His mother Hilary Lee told the Huddersfield hearing that Mr Dean, a former electrical engineer, failed to get over the death of his sister Alison, who died in a road accident two years earlier.
The inquest heard that Mr Dean had a history of manic depression and alcohol abuse. He was last seen by medics a month before his death, but failed to return for a follow-up appointment.
In a statement to the hearing, window cleaner Robert Tolley said he was cleaning windows when he discovered Mr Dean’s body hanging from an electric cable suspended from his attic.
The inquest heard that there was evidence that Mr Dean had been drinking, but there was no suicide note.
A post-mortem revealed a moderate amount of alcohol present in Mr Dean’s liver tissue, but no evidence of excessive drug-taking.
Mrs Lee, who now lives in Suffolk, told the inquest that she last spoke to her son on January 19, but hadn’t seen him since December.
She said he had suffered from a lot of medical problems, but seemed a lot better when she last spoke to him.
Mrs Lee then tried, but failed, to contact her son on January 26 when she returned from a holiday.
She paid a touching tribute to her son, whose twin was stillborn. She said: “He was always a loner, but he made the most of his life.”
Coroner Roger Whittaker recorded a verdict of suicide by hanging.
