A family have paid an emotional tribute to a “selfless big kid” after an inquest ruled he took his own life.

Karl Luke Goodwin was found dead in a woodland in Sevenfields nature reserve on July 28, 2022, having been reported missing the day before.

An inquest at Wiltshire and Swindon Coroners’ Court heard on Tuesday (April 25) that in the months leading up to his death, Karl had been having issues with money after becoming addicted to online gambling, and that his relationship with his partner was becoming strained and eventually broke down.

Senior coroner David Ridley ruled that he had “intended to end his life”.

In a statement released after the inquest, Karl’s family said: “Karl has left a massive hole in our lives and life will never be the same without him.

“He wasn’t perfect, but he was always there if you needed him. Everyone who had the honour of knowing Karl will miss his loud, cheeky voice and his huge kind heart.

“We miss him terribly and love him always.

“We have been so grateful for the love and support over the last nine months.”

The court heard Karl was working excessive hours, was not eating, and had moved out of his home and in with his mum and sister, who he had visited the day before he was found. After this, he took his daughter and niece to Subway for dinner.

When dropping his daughter off he told her "that he hasn't had a love in the world like he had for her", gave her all of the money he had at the time which was £50, and then said he'd see her next Saturday. 

After this Karl exchanged text messages with his partner telling her to take care of their daughter, before instructing her to sell his van to clear the rent arrears they were in. His final text to her was “goodbye”.

Worried, Karl's partner told his family and he was subsequently reported missing to the police that evening.

Karl was found the following morning by a member of the public and a later post-mortem revealed his cause of death as compression of the neck structures via a ligature.

Senior coroner David Ridley said: “To take your life in this manner takes planning, this wasn’t a case of impulsively swallowing a bunch of pills, you need to plan it.

“I believe Karl intended to end his life, although he was making plans with his daughter in a week’s time, you could see that he had made a decision to do what he did.”

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