A coroner has ruled that a man took his own life after enduring “a lifetime of mental health difficulties”.

Jon Gregory McAvoy, of Maryport, died at the Carleton Clinic in Carlisle on March 15 last year, at the age of 47.

Mr McAvoy who had multiple personality disorder and paranoid schizophrenia, was admitted to the clinic’s Hadrian Unit as a voluntary patient three weeks prior to his death.

Speaking at the inquest in Cockermouth, his sister Debra Coles said: “He loved to cook and clean. He loved the finer things in life. He liked classical music and loved a cigar. He had his pet cats.

“He loved to take things apart. He thought he was doing DIY but he was actually doing demolition!”

She said he may have had mental health issues since he was a small child.

“He had problems from a very young age. He struggled at school. He didn’t get any academic qualifications.”

She said he had tried suicide before and was sectioned around the time of the floods after the factory he worked at was closed down and he lost his job.

Mrs Coles said that when her brother stayed with her at Christmas he had said “he would give us a good Christmas because this was the last one he would have”.

“I knew that he had had enough. He couldn’t find happiness anywhere,” she added.

The inquest heard that Mr McAvoy had suffered with suicidal thoughts for the last 20 years but these had become more profound in the last year.

Coroner Nicholas Shaw said: “It’s hard to imagine the mental anguish he would have felt over the years. It was clear he was very disturbed.”

Jill Archibald, acute and urgent care manager at the Hadrian unit, said: “I knew Greg very well. I was his key worker for a year. He was charismatic, charming. He was just different.”

The coroner said Mr McAvoy’s cause of death was hanging.

In his concluding statement, he said: “This was a case of suicide. It was something that was going to happen sooner or later.

“This is often the issue with people with serious mental health problems. It is impossible to give them 365-day 24-hour safeguarding.

“He clearly had a severe and enduring mental illness. He must have suffered a lot from it over the years.

“I don’t see the Carleton Clinic could have known it was going to happen. They couldn’t have done anymore to protect him. Those involved in the ward should not feel any responsibility.”

Mrs Coles said: “There’s a lot of failings in the system over the years. They do wonderful work on the wards. It’s up at a higher level that’s the problem.”