A father-of-two who was found dead in an alleyway, struggled with depression and alcohol addiction which deteriorated after he lost his licence following a car crash, an inquest heard today.

The body of 56-year-old Danny O’Brien was discovered by a shocked dog walker on January 30 this year at the end of an alleyway in Downley between Woodcote Green and Plomer Hill.

Addressing Beaconsfield Coroner's court, DC Dave Mitchell, based at Wycombe CID, said Mr O'Brien was found at 9.49am wearing wet clothes, as it had been raining overnight, and he had sustained a cut to his forehead.

However DC Mitchell said there was no sign of other injuries and ruled out any third party involvement.

A toxicology report revealed Mr O’Brien had toxic levels of alcohol in his blood and the coroner was told temperatures plummeted to around two degrees that night – which is believed to have contributed to his death.

In a statement read out to the court, Valerie Lambert described the moment she found Mr O’Brien, believing she first thought she had come across “a pile of clothes”.

Mrs Lambert headed straight to her nearby home where she immediately contacted the emergency services.

The court heard that Danny was known to police has having “problems” with alcohol and he also suffered from seizures believed to be prompted by his alcohol consumption.

Days before his death Mr O’Brien – who previously worked as an engineer – was admitted to Stoke Mandeville hospital after having a seizure at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting.

He was later diagnosed with pneumonia and was discharged from hospital with antibiotics to treat the illness.

Mr O’Brien was also received medication for depression and anxiety which he had battled since the age of 18, according to Mrs O’Brien.

She said her husband had struggled with alcohol addiction for “a number of years” and it had worsened since he was involved in a car crash in 2014 which saw him lose his job and driving licence.

The pair were separated however Mr O’Brien still lived in the family home – staying in the conservatory.

Assistant coroner for Bucks, Alison McCormick, said she agreed with the pathologist that the cause of death was acute alcohol intoxication and environmental exposure and ruled out suicide.

Speaking after the inquest the Mrs O’Brien and her two sons, Jack and Liam, 23, paid tribute to their “proud and supportive” husband and father who was widely respected in the Downley community.

Mrs O’Brien said: “He was very proud and he did have the support of the Downley community. There were about 350 people at the funeral. He was a very popular man.

“He was a hard worker, there was nothing he couldn’t set his hand too. He made everything in the house, the conservatory.

“We just want people to be aware of the struggles of addiction and depression and for there to be more help out there. Hopefully now with the royals coming out about it more people will be made aware of it.

“If there had been more help when Danny was Jack’s age then maybe he would still be here today.”