A heartbroken pensioner who took his own life is believed to have decided he could no longer live without his beloved wife after finding her dead at their home, an inquest heard.

Brian Swaddle, who was 86, was found slumped over the bathtub while 84-year-old his wife lay dead downstairs.

The grim discovery was made at Park Crescent Darlington, their home for more than 30 years, by a concerned neighbour who noticed the growing number of milk bottles on their doorstep.

An inquest at Crook Coroner’s Court on Friday heard she found the door unlocked and called emergency services after finding their bodies on May 17.

The house was initially cordoned off as a crime scene but Durham Constabulary found there were no suspicious circumstances.

The inquest was told Mr Swaddle, a retired railway clerk, and his wife, have two grown up children, a son and a daughter.

The court heard Mr Swaddle suffered from high blood pressure, angina and heart disease but was otherwise fit and well.

A post-mortem examination carried out by Home Office pathologist Dr Louise Mulcahy confirmed the cause of his death was self-inflicted injuries.

Toxicology tests showed there were no signs of drugs or alcohol in his system when he died.

The cause of Mrs Swaddle’s death is not yet known.

The court was told police officers launched an investigation after arriving at the scene.

In a statement to the court Detective Constable Helen Brownlee said: “Olwyn was lying on the floor deceased.

“They went upstairs and could hear a tap running.

“They found Brian slumped over the bath, kneeling on the floor, fully clothed.

“He had injuries and clearly was deceased at that point.”

Assistant Coroner for County Durham and Darlington Dr Leslie Hamilton concluded Mr Swaddle’s death was suicide.

He said: “This was an 86-year-old man who was living with his wife at home and had done so for many years.

“His wife was also deceased at the property."

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The coroner said: “We can’t say what happened in terms of a sequence, but it may well be that he discovered his wife deceased and decided to take action.

“His wounds were self-inflicted and he intended to take his own life.

“It will have been quite a shock for a neighbour to come and find him like that.”

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