A father who battled to overcome a tough life had always tried his hardest to succeed, a coroner said.

Anthony Celmins, 38, had a history of mental health problems. He lived at Scotby Gardens in Carlisle until shortly before his death on February 8 last year.

An inquest, in Cockermouth, heard he had suffered physical and sexual abuse as a child and been stabbed in the head as a two-year-old.

In the space of eight years he had lost five people close to him: his best friend died in 2001; his parents were killed in a road accident in 2007; his uncle died the following year; and his brother died in 2008, following a heroin overdose.

The coroner was told Mr Celmins had issues with binge drinking and and a history of anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts.

He split up with his girlfriend, Rebecca Elliot, on January 23 and it was her who contacted the mental health team a few days later with worries about Mr Celmins safety.

He was admitted to the Carleton Clinic, a psychiatric unit in Carlisle, on January 31.

Initially he was anxious and depressed and spoke of wanting to die, the inquest heard. He later said he realised the negative effect alcohol had on him and accepted treatment for his depression.

Mr Celmins later told staff he had somewhere to stay and would be returning to work soon. He was released on February 4 and expected to stay in contact with the mental health team.

Despite repeated attempts on their part however, he failed to engage with them.

On February 7, he went to the home of a friend, Karen Armstrong, in Stonegarth, Morton. She had gone to bed later that evening, leaving him to sleep on the sofa.

She was woken by a sound and Mr Celmins was found hanged.

Coroner Dr Nicholas Shaw concluded: "This is a case of suicide. Following the breakdown of his relationship, Anthony was harbouring increasing suicidal thoughts exacerbated by alcohol.

"I believe Anthony knew what the consequences were."

He continued: "Anthony had a difficult life, with the loss of so many family members and what happened to him as a child.

"He could not settle down to one career or another, it's a great shame he did not manage to stay in the army.

"He tried his best to look after his children and the relationships he formed but they always fell down because of his tendency to binge on alcohol.

"It seems he never settled in to anything. Nevertheless he was clearly a man prepared to work and earn his money."

Regarding leaving the clinic when he did - with questions raised over whether he was well enough - Dr Shaw said: "I suspect [Mr Celmins] gave a much more optimistic outlook to hospital staff than was actually the case."

* If you are struggling and need support you can contact SOBS Cumbria 24/7 helpline on 07572 975721 (John) or 07896 703757 (Karan). You can also email at hello@sobs-cumbria.org.uk, or you can visit them on Facebook and Twitter at @SOBSCumbria.

The Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123.