A MAN jumped from a railway viaduct while grieving for his mother, an inquest heard.

Ewan Felton suffered multiple injuries after the 100ft fall from the bridge near Durham Railway Station.

He landed on a patch of grass in North Road at about 11.30am on April 18.

Pathologist Paul Barrett said no traces of alcohol or illicit drugs were found in the system of the single, unemployed 42-year-old, from Taylor Avenue, Bearpark, near Durham.

His brother, Stuart Felton, told the inquest at Chester-le-Street how the family was mourning the loss of their mother but did not realise it had hit Ewan so hard.

He said: "At the time, he seemed to be a tower of strength for my father and me. He was very upset at the time of my mother's death but he did not show much emotion. He talked about helping my father get on with life and seeing relatives in Edinburgh.

"I had no idea how he felt and when I left him, he was in a great mood - an optimistic mood."

Mr Felton said he did not know if he had been taking the medication he was prescribed to treat depression.

North Durham coroner Andrew Tweddle said the place he fell from was not easy to reach, which suggested he had intended to harm himself and had not slipped.

He said: "He was, by the sounds of it, more upset by his mother's death than he was letting on. He was a tower of strength for you, but once that pressure was released, he did what he did. He is not the first person to have jumped from that spot and I suspect he will not be the last."

Mr Tweddle's verdict was that Mr Felton took his own life