A GRIEF-stricken father hanged himself while suffering depression over the death of his daughter in a fairground tragedy.

Heating engineer David Griffin sent a text message to his wife, Michelle, which read 'I'm sorry. I love you, goodbye.'

He then drove to woodland near his home in Adisham, near Canterbury, where he was later found hanging from a tree.

At an inquest into his death, the coroner was told how the couple were devastated by the loss of their eight-year-old daughter, Erin.

She died from head injuries three years ago after being thrown from a mini roller coaster ride on Folkestone seafront. But he became overwhelmed with grief and was being treated by his doctor for depression.

The hearing was told that Mr Griffin and his wife separated in February this year but remained in contact. Mrs Griffin, of the Street, Adisham, told deputy coroner Ian Goldup that both she and her husband had become increasingly frustrated at delays in a court action in which the ride operators, Dreamland Leisure, were being prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive.

She said: "David was very angry about it and felt badly treated by the system. He was very upset about the time it was taking because there had been a saga of adjournments."

Mr Griffin was in a relationship with staff nurse Tracy Deary, of Sheldon Close, Aylesham, at the time of his death. She said that he had good and bad days but seemed very quiet the night before he died.

"I knew he was down but I didn't think he would do anything like that," she told the hearing.

Mrs Griffin said her husband had visited her the day before his death and they had talked about getting back together. "I told him he needed to sort himself out before I would have him back. He was in quite a state."

Mrs Griffin said she was at work on July 2 when she got a text message from her husband which worried her. "He had texted me before but it was the 'goodbye' bit that I felt uneasy about.

"I called a friend in the village who said they had seen David in his van. But I drove home through the back way into Aylesham and saw his vehicle parked beside the road near a track leading into the woods.

"I ran down the track and shouted out his name but couldn't find him so I called the police."

The case being brought against Dreamland Leisure is over allegations that it failed to ensure the health and safety of Erin. The trial is now due to take place at the crown court in January.