Bristol lorry driver hanged himself at work

A Bristol lorry driver left heartbroken after his relationship failed hanged himself at his company's warehouse to set his former partner free, an inquest heard.

Peter Morgan, 35, died in the early hours of June 22, 2008, at New Allies Transport, a haulage firm on the Pucklechurch trading estate.

Mr Morgan, who had no fixed abode, was devastated after he broke up with Lesley Poole, his girlfriend of almost 18 months, in May that year.

In the five weeks before his death, he called and sent her text messages about 3,000 times trying to win her back.

He also tried to kill himself by running a hose from his exhaust into his car and he had threatened to throw himself off the Severn Bridge and on to a railway line.

But each time he told Miss Poole beforehand and was stopped before he could do anything.

On June 21 he went to the Star Inn in Pucklechurch with his work friend Mark Betteridge and his partner Donna Williams, and they were joined by Lynn Clancy a Yate woman he had met over the internet.

In the days before, Mr Morgan had sent messages to them asking for help because he was scared, saying "please ring Lesley to say goodbye" and "goodbye to you both and good luck". 

Miss Williams said that on June 21, Mr Morgan had seemed fine, laughing and joking in the pub. But later that night he sent them more text messages, saying "thank you for coming tonight, I will be watching", and one to say goodbye.

He also sent photo messages to Miss Poole, Miss Williams and Miss Clancy of an orange ratchet strap at the warehouse, with the word "goodbye" written underneath.

At about 2am police came to Mr Betteridge and Miss William's home to say they were concerned about Mr Morgan, and Mr Betteridge took them straight to New Allies Transport on the estate after he recognised it from the text message.

In the back of a warehouse they found Mr Morgan hanging from a light fitting, and in the cab of his lorry was a note, which said his death was his way of letting go of his broken relationship.

Miss Poole told the court they had had a good relationship, but that Mr Morgan met women across the country through online dating sites. They split up three times in their 18 months, and each time he threatened to kill himself.

Miss Poole also said that Mr Morgan had tried to kill himself when he was in the army, but on each attempt someone knew about it and could come to his help. She said she became so used to his constant threats that "it was almost like the little boy who cries wolf".

She said: "There is a history. It was not the first time he had done this, he just had this thing about death."

The court also heard that Mr Morgan's mother left him when he was 16, leaving him a note to say that she had looked after him all that time and now he had to look after himself.

And after 12 years in the army, Mr Morgan was told by his bosses that he had been nothing more than a number, and that if he was killed someone else could easily have taken his place.

Assistant deputy coroner Terence Moore ruled Mr Morgan died through hanging, which cut off oxygen to his brain and that his death was suicide.