FINANCIAL debt that mounted up over a year drove a young man to take his life.

Christopher Todd hanged himself at home in Eldon Grove, in Stanley, County Durham, on Saturday, February 22.

Today (Thursday, April 17) an inquest into his death heard that the 29-year-old was in a financial mess and faced demand to repay a substantial amount of debt.

Det Con Lindsey Hill, of Stanley CID, told the hearing, at Crook Civic Centre, that no suicide note was found in Mr Todd’s flat but there was a lot of paperwork about debt for around a year.

She said a mobile phone examination found text messages from him referring to suicidal thoughts and asking to borrow money along with messages demanding him to make repayments.

Coroner Andrew Tweddle said: “He was clearly upset about the financial mess he was in, he had been trying to get money to pay off the debts.

“To me it shows quite a desperate young person who took his own life.”