AN inquest was held into the "very sad" death of a "kind, generous and helpful man" who loved the outdoors and died unexpectedly.

Ian James Steele, 56, was found unresponsive at his home in Blackford, Carlisle, on February 5.

An inquest was held on Thursday at the Coroner's Court in Cockermouth.

It heard that Mr Steele was born in Carlisle. After leaving school he worked in forestry. He went on to set up his own forestry business and was working up until his death.

He married Louise in 2008 and the couple lived in Canonbie. They later moved to Blackford.

In a statement she said: "He was a happy, kind person, very generous and always helpful.

"He always helped the neighbours, loved gardening and fishing, anything that was outdoors. He was a great nature lover."

They were both in the house on the morning of February 5.

"A delivery arrived which contained fishing equipment which he wanted to set up," said Mrs Steele. "He went into the garage to get started.

"Hours had passed and he had not returned."

She had called his mobile phone but there was no response. About three hours later Mrs Steele went out to the garage and found him hanging, the inquest heard.

The emergency services were called. CPR was carried out by police officers and paramedics and Mr Steele was declared deceased.

The inquest heard the couple had an argument a couple of days earlier, they had then had the same discussion that morning.

Mrs Steele said that "his mood was dipping in the weeks leading up to his death, he said he was fine".

His GP reported Mr Steele had never been treated for mental health problems. The toxicological report found nothing of significance.

A post mortem gave the medical cause of death as hanging.

Assistant coroner Craig Smith described it as a "very sad death".

"Ian appears to be a kind and considerate individual, a gentleman who strived to help others," said Mr Smith.

"His sudden and unexpected passing will clearly have affected those around him. He is greatly missed.

"We have heard he was generally fit and had never seen his GP in relation to mental health problems, anxiety, depression or suicidal ideation, drugs or alcohol."

Having heard evidence from Mrs Steele, police and paramedics, Mr Smith said: "On the balance of probability, Ian's death came about as a result of his own actions.

"He does not appear to have suffered from mental health issues, there is no evidence of suicidal ideation, no suicide note.

"However it's not uncommon in a great number of cases for such elements to be absent in the case of suicide.

"I find on balance of probability, Ian did intend to take his own life."

He concluded Mr Steele's death was suicide and passed on his sincerest condolences to the family.

When life is difficult, Samaritans are here – day or night, 365 days a year. You can call them for free on 116 123, email them at jo@samaritans.org, or visit www.samaritans.org to find your nearest branch.

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