A MAN with a history of mental illness hanged himself after voices in his head said his loved ones would be hurt if he did not do so, an inquest heard on Thursday.
Louis Eric Toon, 37, was found dead by his partner at their home in Avon Close, Canterbury, early in the morning of Sunday, December 4.
His partner, who has asked not to be named to avoid upsetting her children, told the Canterbury inquest : "The voices were saying that if he didn't harm himself something bad was going to happen to his mother."
Coroner Rebecca Cobb heard that Mr Toon had told his girlfriend's sister two days earlier that he was not coping after the death of her father. His uncle had also recently died. However, he did not mention that he was considering harming himself.
That evening the sisters fell asleep downstairs, while Mr Toon had gone upstairs at midnight after "bickering" with his partner. Mr Toon's girlfriend woke up suddenly at about 3am and ran out of the room to discover Mr Toon's body near the stairs. She tried to resuscitate him until an ambulance arrived.
She told the inquest: "When I woke up I think instinctively I knew something was wrong."
Jill Knight, of Canterbury's community mental health team, said the voices Mr Toon heard were known as "command hallucinations". He was referred to the crisis team and staff visited him several times, including hours before his death.
Another appointment had been arranged for 4pm the day he died.
Mr Toon, originally from Warwickshire, met his partner online last summer and moved to Canterbury to live with her.
Pathologist Dr Salim Anjarwalla said Mr Toon had 142mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood, which was not enough to cause death but "might have affected his judgment". The legal driving limit is 80mg per 100ml of blood.
A doctor's report read during the inquest revealed that Mr Toon had an 18-year history of mental-health issues, including mixed personality disorder with paranoid traits.
He also had a history of drug misuse and alcoholism, and in the past had taken several overdoses and made threats to kill himself.
Miss Cobb said that although Mr Toon had not left a suicide note, she could not rule out the possibility that he had intended to take his own life, particularly as he had a history of mental-health issues and had made threats to do so before.
But she added that his illness and the high levels of alcohol in his body meant he might not have been of sound mind when he made the decision to hang himself.
Verdict: narrative.
Louis Eric Toon, 37, was found dead by his partner at their home in Avon Close, Canterbury, early in the morning of Sunday, December 4.
His partner, who has asked not to be named to avoid upsetting her children, told the Canterbury inquest : "The voices were saying that if he didn't harm himself something bad was going to happen to his mother."
Coroner Rebecca Cobb heard that Mr Toon had told his girlfriend's sister two days earlier that he was not coping after the death of her father. His uncle had also recently died. However, he did not mention that he was considering harming himself.
That evening the sisters fell asleep downstairs, while Mr Toon had gone upstairs at midnight after "bickering" with his partner. Mr Toon's girlfriend woke up suddenly at about 3am and ran out of the room to discover Mr Toon's body near the stairs. She tried to resuscitate him until an ambulance arrived.
She told the inquest: "When I woke up I think instinctively I knew something was wrong."
Jill Knight, of Canterbury's community mental health team, said the voices Mr Toon heard were known as "command hallucinations". He was referred to the crisis team and staff visited him several times, including hours before his death.
Another appointment had been arranged for 4pm the day he died.
Mr Toon, originally from Warwickshire, met his partner online last summer and moved to Canterbury to live with her.
Pathologist Dr Salim Anjarwalla said Mr Toon had 142mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood, which was not enough to cause death but "might have affected his judgment". The legal driving limit is 80mg per 100ml of blood.
A doctor's report read during the inquest revealed that Mr Toon had an 18-year history of mental-health issues, including mixed personality disorder with paranoid traits.
He also had a history of drug misuse and alcoholism, and in the past had taken several overdoses and made threats to kill himself.
Miss Cobb said that although Mr Toon had not left a suicide note, she could not rule out the possibility that he had intended to take his own life, particularly as he had a history of mental-health issues and had made threats to do so before.
But she added that his illness and the high levels of alcohol in his body meant he might not have been of sound mind when he made the decision to hang himself.
Verdict: narrative.
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