River death was suicide, inquest hears
A pensioner whose body was found in a Black Country river committed suicide, an inquest hear.
Bernard Thomson, 75, went missing on January 31 from his home in Cradley Heath, with his body found in the River Stour three days later.
An inquest into his death, held at Oldbury Coroner's Court, revealed that he had been known to mental health services since early 2016 and had suffered a breakdown ten years ago.
The court heard that he felt 'inferior' to friends of his and the breakdown came as a result of him facing redundancy as he neared retirement age.
Coroner David Urperth said: "He suffered from low self worth, he was sad that he didn't do well at school.
"He visited friends who had nice houses and he felt inferior to them.
"However, he hadn't previously tried to commit suicide."
Officers who had been urgently trying to find Mr Thomson after he was reported missing ended up finding his body in the river, with his clothes found in a neat pile near the water.
The inquest heard that the clothes were found by a walker who reported the find to police after seeing a search party looking for Mr Thomson.
He had been admitted to Bushley Fields psychiatric hospital in Dudley during December 2016, where he spoke with doctors about his mental health issues and was prescribed medication to deal with them.
Mr Thomson was released just before Christmas after Dr Udaya Raj Balakrishna said he believed he saw positive progress in his attitude.
However, when Mr Thomson's wife returned to their home on January 31 expecting her husband to have gone out for a walk, she found a suicide note he had left behind.
A post mortem confirmed that drowning was the cause of death.
Dr Balakrishna said: "Mr Thomson had been taking his medication, responding well to that and he was happy to talk about things.
"There were no significant concerns when he was given the all clear to leave the hospital, with a plan in place for continued check-ups to be carried out."
Giving a verdict of suicide, coroner David Urperth said: "I am satisfied that the correct conclusion to make in this case is that of suicide.
"It is clear to me from the evidence I have seen and heard that Mr Thomson took his own life and intended to do so.
"I give my most sincere condolences to his family."
