A TROUBLED man travelled 350 miles from his home then stabbed himself to death in a pub picked at random.

It is thought Stephen Whitehead wanted to spare his parents the anguish of finding his body.

Mr Whitehead, 27, left his home in Billericay, Essex, for London, then caught a connecting train to Newcastle.

He made his way to Gosforth and walked into the Earl Grey pub, ordering a cola. His body was found later when a drinker noticed blood trickling from a toilet cubicle.

Pub manageress Betty Thornton told an inquest in Newcastle of the lasting sense of shock and distress felt by staff and customers.

Mr Whitehead had stabbed himself seven times. He was covered in blood and clothing was tied around his neck.

The inquest heard how Mr Whitehead had a history of mental health problems and had tried to kill himself before by sitting on a railway line.

The day before he caught the train to Newcastle, he had been sectioned by South Essex Health Partnership Trust.

His parents, Marjorie, 63 and Michael, 66, knew of their son's mental health problems but never thought he would kill himself.

This was the second tragedy to strike the family - their first son, Paul, died when he was hit by a car, aged 15.

Mr Whitehead, a retired engineer, said: "It was a real shock. Stephen had plans for the future and he was a really intelligent young man."

Coroner David Mitford said Mr Whitehead took his own life at a time when the balance of his mind was disturbed.

South Essex Health Partnership Trust said an inquiry had been launched into Mr Whitehead's treatment and death.