A DEPRESSED 26-year-old man took his own life at his Swindon home, an inquest heard yesterday.

Self-employed electrician Wesley Mills of Conway Road, Eldene, was found hanging from a rope attached to a loft hatch by his mum Catherine on May 8 last year.

Despite desperate efforts by paramedics he was pronounced dead at 8.43pm at the Great Western Hospital.

His inquest at the Civic Offices in Swindon heard Wesley was a keen traveller having saved £20,000 to visit Brazil, Peru, Australia and New Zealand during a two-year break.

Swindon and Wiltshire Assistant Deputy Coroner Ian Singleton said Wesley had become fed up of life in Swindon and his job was treated as a means to an end.

The former Dorcan Technology School and Swindon College student, who had competed for England’s under 17 ice hockey team, was known by his family for having extreme mood swings.

Mr Singleton said Wesley thought he suffered from a Bipolar disorder. But clinical tests proved this was not the case, Mr Singleton said. Wesley’s grandfather also suffered from depression, he said.

A hand-written suicide note scrawled on the back of an envelope was found near Wesley’s body.

Giving evidence Detective Constable Claire Wyness of Swindon CID said Wesley was a very depressed individual.

She said: “He wrote life is hell and he was trying very hard to turn things around, but to no avail.

“In it he said he was sorry for what he was doing.”

DC Wyness said she was satisfied there was no third party involved in the death.

Wesley was prescribed antidepressant medication and had met with doctors and psychologists about his depressive condition, but had told them he wouldn’t kill himself as he didn’t want to upset his family.

Psychologist Malti Sarin, formally of Sandalwood Court, Stratton, met with Wesley the day before he died. She said he would not engage with her and he was very agitated.

Wesley’s laptop computer was seized at the scene of his death and analysed. It later showed between April 24 and May 3 there were multiple searches of ‘how to kill yourself’ entered into search engines online.

Consultant pathologist doctor Janette Armstrong of GWH examined Wesley’s body, finding marks on his neck.

She found he died from compression of the neck structure by ligature.

Mr Singleton concluded: “Wesley Mills took his own life.”