A wife who came home to find her husband had taken his own life says he never admitted he needed help battling drink and depression.

Dad-of-two Stephen Tobin, 45, was discovered by wife Lorraine after he hanged himself at their house in Aylesham on March 19.

An inquest at Canterbury Coroner’s Court yesterday (Wednesday) heard how Mr Tobin had also suffered a severe injury in an electrical explosion just over a year before his death.

The traumatic accident had left Mr Tobin with “significant burn injuries” to his arm and he had been reluctant to return to work afterwards, but did so for financial reasons.

A father to two daughters, Libby, 12 and Isha, 20, he had also struggled with the death of his mother five years ago, and his father-in-law, with whom he had a close relationship.

As Mr Tobin increasingly sought solace in drinking, the couple's relationship became strained and at the time of his suicide, they had begun to live "somewhat separate" lives.

"I just think at the end of the day, Stephen had issues. He needed to go and see someone," Mrs Tobin said, giving evidence at the inquest.

"He always said he never had a problem. He used to blame it on me, and would say 'I want you to be a wife'.

"I would consider Stephen as depressed, but he was not on any medication, and he would never see a doctor."

Mrs Tobin, who had been in Canterbury with a friend on the night her husband took his life, returned to their home in Cornwallis Avenue in the early hours to find him hanged.

The inquest heard how he had earlier sent her "nasty" text messages, with the last one telling her she should "look forward to a surprise".

Although paramedics performed CPR, he could not be resuscitated and was pronounced dead at about 3.30am.

A post-mortem test found he had 253mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, roughly three times the legal limit for driving.

Also giving evidence, DS Steve Mart said "nothing indicated that there were any third parties or suspicious circumstances" involved in the death.

Mr Tobin, who was born in Dover on August 9, 1973, had made a previous attempt on his life in 2016 when he was hospitalised after an overdose, but at that time was said to have shown remorse and to have been "embarrassed" by his actions.

Reaching a conclusion of suicide, assistant coroner James Dillon said Mr Tobin had taken his own life.

"It remains only for me to thank you all for coming today and to offer condolences, from all of us in the coroner's service, for the loss of Stephen," he said.

Speaking afterwards, Mrs Tobin, who married her husband in 2011 and had been his partner for almost 28 years, says that with better support for his mental illness, her husband "wouldn't have gone through" what he did, and that despite the friction in their relationship "he was a good man."

"Drink got to him and he got depressed," she continued.

"But he didn't ever talk to anyone. People don't realise what other people might be going through, behind closed doors."

For confidential support on an emotional issue, call Samaritans on 116 123.

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