A MAN took his own life days after his partner was arrested for breaching a sexual offences prevention order.

Philip Dawson, 28, was found dead by his partner, Mark Goldsborough, at their home in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, on July 17, last year.

An inquest yesterday heard that Mr Dawson was found with a plastic bag over his head.

Toxological tests revealed he had fatal levels of zopiclone, a strong sleeping tablet, in his blood.

A hand-written note was found in the kitchen of the house, in Annand Way.

Detective Sergeant Darren Phillips, of Durham Police, told the hearing that Goldsborough, who is in prison, had given a detailed account of the history leading to Mr Dawson’s death.

He said Mr Dawson had tried to seriously harm himself on more than one occasion, including two days before his death.

Questioned by County Durham coroner Andrew Tweddle, Det Sgt Phillips said, based on all his inquiries, he believed Mr Dawson had acted on his own.

Mr Tweddle told the hearing that, given the findings, he was content to record a verdict that Mr Dawson took his own life by asphyxia and a drug overdose.

Yesterday’s inquest in Chester-le-Street came twoand- a-half months after Goldsborough, 26, of Stephenson Way, Newton Aycliffe, was jailed for 16 months at Durham Crown Court after admitting breaching a sexual offences prevention order.

The order was imposed, “until further order”, when Goldsborough, then of Stainforth Close, Newton Aycliffe, received a 36-week prison sentence, suspended for two years, at Teesside Crown Court, in March 2009.

That sentence was imposed after he admitted 16 offences of downloading child pornography and one charge of possessing 130 such images on or before January 1, the previous year. Under the terms of the order, he was banned from having unsupervised contact with under 18s without the approval of a parent or guardian and the relevant social services department, except when shopping or eating out.

The hearing, in Durham City in November, was told he breached it by having contact with a boy who went on holiday to Turkey with Goldsborough and Mr Dawson and who also stayed over at weekends with them, between March 19 and July 8 last year.

It was after Goldsborough’s arrest on suspicion of breaching the order, and while he was on bail, pending further police inquiries, that Mr Dawson took his own life.