A DISTRAUGHT husband says he is taking legal advice about the way his wife's case was handled by a North-East hospital.

Karen Coverdale, 40, went missing in March last year after she left St Luke's psychiatric hospital, in Middlesbrough.

She has not been traced, but police found her car in the North Gare breakwater at Seaton Carew, Hartlepool, four days later, and Anthony Coverdale believes the mother-of-two died there.

He is also seeking Home Office permission to have an inquest opened.

Mr Coverdale, of Cragside, Ingleby Barwick, near Stockton, said his wife had a history of depression and twice tried to kill herself, the last time only two days before she went missing.

"We should not be in this situation now," said Mr Coverdale, who is looking after their children, Ben, 17, and Alex, 14. "I want compensation for them."

A spokeswoman for the Tees and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust, said: "Patient confidentiality prevents us from commenting on individual cases.

"However, Mr Coverdale made a formal complaint to us last year. It was fully and thoroughly investigated, and we gave him a comprehensive response to his concerns.

"Mr Coverdale has since met with two of our most senior consultant psychiatrists to fully discuss the investigation of his complaint.

"We would strongly urge Mr Coverdale to contact us again if he has any further concerns he would like us to investigate."

The hospital said it always took complaints seriously and that if it found failings, immediate action would be taken. The spokeswoman said: "We fully appreciate the distressing circumstances Mr Coverdale and his family are facing and we would once again like to offer them our most sincere sympathies."