A CHEF who was found hanged in woods was due to be charged with four counts of child grooming, an inquest has heard.

The body of Michael Bell, from Barnard Castle, County Durham, was found hanging from a tree in Ewebank Wood, on the county's border with Cumbria.

Hours before his disappearance, Mr Bell was questioned by police and had spent the night in custody at Bishop Auckland while a search was carried out of his caravan.

During yesterday's inquest, at Penrith Magistrates' Court, in Cumbria, Detective Constable Fiona Laws, of Durham Police's child abuse investigation unit, said Mr Bell, 40, was known to them.

"Ranging back to 2000, there were a number of intelligence reports that Mr Bell had possibly formed inappropriate relationships with juveniles," said Det Con Laws.

She said that, at the time of his arrest, there were three search warrants for Mr Bell's caravan, located at Winston Gate, Barnard Castle.

One concerned alleged indecent images of children and the other two were allegedly drugs related. Mr Bell, an unmarried chef at a Barnard Castle restaurant, was granted police bail until October 14.

His body was discovered by a police search team on October 15, ten days after his disappearance.

Det Con Laws said that a meeting had taken place between the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and Durham Police.

"On the evidence we presented to the CPS, there would have been four charges laid against Mr Bell," she said.

"The charges were allegations of child grooming."

Det Con Laws said Mr Bell was also expected to be charged with two counts of possession of cannabis.

Ian Smith, coroner for south and east Cumbria, recorded a verdict that Mr Bell killed himself.

Mr Smith said: "He was not charged with any offence or found guilty of any offence in a court of law.

"But the first part of a process which might have led to a prosecution had begun. He killed himself to circumvent that process."