The death of a man from Stowmarket has been recorded as suicide by a coroner, who said his family “could not have known” about his intentions.

Danny Clark, 31, from Stowmarket, was found hanged at his home on Tuesday, December 17 2019.

In an inquest, which was opened in May and concluded on Monday July 27, senior Suffolk coroner Nigel Parsley said Mr Clark had suffered from anxiety and depression for several years, and had been prescribed anti-depressants.

On the morning of his death, Mr Clark had returned home after spending time at an unknown address, the inquest heard.

His mother Mandy said he was “in good spirits” and his friends said he was laughing and joking in the car.

Mr Clark was later found hanged at around 7.40pm and he was certified dead by a paramedic at 8.16pm.

A note was later found at his home stating his intention to end his life.

A post-mortem found ketamine and diazepam in Mr Clark’s’s system and his medical cause of death was recorded as hanging.

He had a history of substance abuse dating back to 2011 and would often “bottle things up”, his sister Larissa told the hearing.

The inquest heard he had become dependant on ketamine and his family said he was struggling to accept help.

In a letter read to the inquest, Mr Clark’s sister said he had made steps to get help but then “backed away” from the support.

A statement by Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust said there was “no history of secondary mental health services” on his records.

Mr Clark had made a self-referral to the trust in October 2019 but did not respond to his wellbeing advice telephone session, or a letter follow-up 10 days later. His case was closed on December, 11 2019.

Mr Parsley said the note said he “felt responsible” for the way he was and he thought he caused his family pain.

“I get the impression Danny felt like a burden and this would relieve him of that. There wasn’t any clues or cues about what was going to occur,” he said.

Speaking directly to Danny’s family, Mr Parsley said: “He was cheerful and happy that day. Please take away that you could not have known about his intentions.”

Mr Parsley concluded Mr Clark died as a result of suicide.

“When you look at the nature of the act itself it must be the case that this was Danny’s intention,” he said.

• Anyone needing help or support should call Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust’s First Response helpline 0808 196 3494 or the Samaritans on 116 123. Both services are available 24 hours 7 days a week. The Stay Alive app on Apple & Android is available to download.