THE family of a 30-year-old man who was found dead inside a car parked at a North-East beauty spot have called for changes of mental health services.

Lee Nassau took his own life at the Broken Scar picnic area, on the outskirts of Darlington, after living with depression for “a great many years”.

A dog walker alerted police and paramedics after noticing a car had been parked at the site for several hours on the morning of June 6.

An inquest held at the County Durham and Darlington Coroner’s Court, in Crook, heard that Mr Nassau, who lived in the Harrowgate Village area of Darlington, had received treatment for mental health issues in the past.

However, his family, who attended the inquest yesterday, claimed Mr Nassau had slipped through the mental health care system.

Speaking in the Coroner’s Court, Mr Nassau’s father said: “We, as a family, felt that Lee had been let down by the system.

“We know Lee had mental health problems and each time he attempted to take his own life, we’d take him to the doctors with a view to getting help for him.

“Lee was quite intelligent and very clever at telling the professionals what they wanted to hear and that he was feeling calmer, like he’d made a miraculous recovery.”

He added: “Something needs to be done to allow people to break into that communication somehow with the professionals.”

Detective Sergeant Stewart Walker, of Darlington CID, confirmed that emergency services were called at around 12.40pm on June 6.

He said: “We had a call from a member of the public who had been walking his dog.

“He had seen a vehicle in the car park and he believed the occupant in the driving seat was asleep in the car.

“He’s returned at lunch time and noticed that the vehicle is in the same position and the driver is too, so paramedics and police were called and they’ve affected entry to the car.”

Assistant coroner Oliver Longstaff offered the Nassau family his condolences and added that he hoped the relatives of Mr Nassau, who worked as an arborist, could focus on happier times following the inquest.

Mr Longstaff said: “There are a great many families who know how hard it is to get their relatives to get the help they need. It is very difficult.

“It is clear that Lee was someone who was troubled with mental health issues for a great many years and he was an intelligent man.

“There’s a clear frustration and belief of his family of what they thought could be done.

“You can only give treatment to people who consent to have it – [Lee] could not be forced to have his treatment against his will.

“The circumstances in which Lee was found make it clear to me that he has died as a result of his own actions.

“Lee’s death was the result of a deliberate act and the conclusion is that Lee took his own life.”