A 31-year-old father took his own life after struggling with mental health issues since leaving school, an inquest heard.

Richard Hopkins, from Burnham, was found hanging in a field near Burnham Beeches by a passer-by, who called police, on the morning of Saturday, March 13 this year.

Buckinghamshire Coroner’s Court heard last Wednesday (June 16) Mr Hopkins had struggled with undiagnosed depression since leaving school and had attempted to take his own life once before.

He was taken to hospital for his injuries following the attempt.

The court was also told Mr Hopkins had a daughter with his ex-partner but had not been listed on her birth certificate and had been fighting to get custody of her but “not getting anywhere with it”, according to his family who were present virtually.

His parents said in a statement read out to the court Mr Hopkins had gone through periods of feeling “very down” and was a heavy drinker for a number of years, but had reportedly given it up a few months ago. He was also said to have taken recreational drugs as a result of his depression.

Mr Hopkins lived with his parents in Burnham, who said in their statement that he did not come home on the Friday night and “kept himself to himself” a lot of the time.

A report from Thames Valley Police, read out to the court, said a 999 call was received at around 7.30am on the morning of March 13, with the passer-by saying she had seen a male hanging from a tree in the field.

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Emergency services reached the field just after 7.40am but sadly, “it was clear there were no lifesaving opportunities”, a South Central Ambulance Service report said.

The inquest also heard about Mr Hopkins’ struggles with getting custody of his daughter, with his sister Laura saying she believed his ex-partner and her parents’ “treatment of him caused him to take his own life”.

Assistant coroner Nick Graham said there was no evidence they were involved in his death but “there could be a number of trigger events for someone to take the decision that Richard did”, adding: “It is not something the coroner would investigate.”

Mr Hopkins’ father also said he felt the custody battle “really tipped him over the edge”, adding: “He was getting nowhere with it.

“The Covid situation [also] made it difficult to see a doctor to get the help he needed. He wasn’t the most patient person so he would have despaired and given up.

“Contact [to see his daughter] had been granted a couple of times, but she never showed up.

“He gave up in December. It was definitely affecting his mental health.”

A toxicology report found Mr Hopkins had a high level of alcohol concentration – “significantly over the drink-drive limit” – in his system as well as small amounts of cocaine.

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A report from Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust from August 2019, read out to the court, said Mr Hopkins was referred for a mental health assessment because of a self-harm incident, adding there were also “concerns about his drinking”.

The assessment determined Mr Hopkins’s risk to himself was ‘medium’. He had told them he had self-harmed but he had been in a low mood at the time because of an argument he had had with his girlfriend at the time.

His GP in a report also said Mr Hopkins had, at the time, said he “regretted his actions”.

Concluding, Mr Graham said: “I think in these circumstances it is clear to me there is no third-party involvement.”

He recorded a conclusion of suicide, with the medical cause of death recorded as hanging.

He added to Mr Hopkins’ family: “My sincere condolences to you for your tragic loss.”

For confidential support in the UK, call the Samaritans on 116123, email jo@samaritans.org or visit a local Samaritans branch. See samaritans.org for more details.