A man shot himself on the day he was due in court to face charges of possessing indecent images.

Howard Turtle was found in a field off the A2070 Bad Munstereifel Road in Ashford having taken his own life.

The body of the 56-year-old was found by Southern Water workers on the morning of Monday, September 27.

A statement from a worker read out at an inquest at County Hall in Maidstone said he had been found leaning against a muddy bank alongside the dual carriageway with a gunshot wound to his head and a pistol in his lap.

Police, including firearms officers, were called to the scene and the gun was made safe after being found to contain two more live rounds, while an extra magazine and a knife were also found in Mr Turtle's pockets.

The inquest heard the South Willesborough resident had been due in court that day, where he faced six separate charges of possessing indecent images.

A Canterbury Crown Court listing revealed this included 689 images and 578 videos of a person having intercourse with "multiple species" of animal.

Two charges also related to the making of more than 3,000 indecent images of children, all of category B and C levels – the lowest and second-highest levels of graphic nature.

Mr Turtle, of Richard Hillary Close, had pleaded not guilty to all counts.

The inquest heard that Mr Turtle was a keen shooter and gun club member and had applied for a firearms licence in 2019 which had been granted.

He had been out for a walk with his wife the weekend before he died, passing by the area in which he was later found.

In a statement to police read out in court, his wife Judy said while his mood had darkened since his arrest in September 2020, he was the "kindest, sweetest man I have ever met".

She said they had stayed up late the night before and talked about her supporting him in court, but he said he did not want her to be there.

He left at some point that night, some short hours before his body was found the following morning.

Giving a cause of death as suicide, coroner Katrina Hepburn said Mr Turtle had a gun licence and that she was left with "no doubt" that he knew how to use the pistol, and that he intended to end his life.

"I would like to pass on my sincere condolences to the family for their loss," she added.

Following Mr Turtle's death, more than £1,200 was raised for the RSPCA Ashford Garden Cattery and Battle of Britain Museum Trust on an online fundraising page.