A man and woman found dead in a car had taken drugs before killing themselves, an inquest heard.

The bodies of Claire Dyson and Andrew Barley were found in a rented garage in Winchester Way, Rainham, on Sunday, September 28.

An inquest into their deaths was held in Maidstone when the coroner recorded both had taken their own lives.

The court heard that at about 1.30pm, after reports of a car engine running in a garage recently rented by Mr Barley and Ms Dyson, police attended garage number 212, which is at the back of Winchester Way, Rainham.

When officers went into the garage, a car was found with its engine running and there was a strong smell of car fumes.

Mr Barley, 41, and Ms Dyson, 45, who lived in Richmond Road, Gillingham, were already dead.

Toxicological results revealed the couple had also taken a mixture of drugs.

After the couple were found in the garage, a woman who lives near the scene, who did not want to be named, said: “Apparently, there were screams heard as the two bodies were discovered. Police were seen making inquiries to residents.”

Police were called to the quiet cul-de-sac by a member of the public who was concerned about hearing a vehicle engine running in a locked garage.

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