A ‘PARANOID’ lorry driver, who believed the police were after him, drowned himself in a Huddersfield reservoir, an inquest heard.

Stephen Armitage, 50, from Ossett, was found dead in Scammonden Reservoir on July 7, 2011, Huddersfield Coroner’s Court was told yesterday.

The court heard the married father-of-one had attached a weight to his body before jumping from Scammonden Dam.

Mr Armitage had become stressed, withdrawn and increasingly paranoid in the weeks leading up to his death.

The HGV driver believed he had been involved in a number of road accidents and the police were after him, the inquest was told.

Recording a verdict that Mr Armitage had taken his life, Coroner Roger Whittaker noted that the balance of Mr Armitage’s mind had been disturbed at the time.