A SARDIS man, distressed and anxious about a number of issues, took his own life while his wife and carer were out shopping, an inquest heard last Friday, December 13.

At the inquest held at County Hall, Coroners Officer for Dyfed-Powys Police Jeremy Davies said Derbyshire-born Mr Hearnshaw, a former geography teacher, lived with his wife and son at Rowan Cottage, Main Street, Sardis, having retired in 1985.

Mr Hearnshaw, aged 87, was in generally good health, other than having three knee operations over a 27-year period and getting up four or five times a night to go the toilet.

He was visited by his brother on September 16, finding him in an anxious state; fretting and worrying about finances.

Mr Hearnshaw’s family had taken on a carer, and was receiving other help, the inquest heard.

On September 18, Mr Hearnshaw’s brother received a voice message, saying he couldn’t carry on anymore.

At 2.45pm, the following day, Mr Hearnshaw’s wife and his carer left the house to go shopping.

They returned home some two hours later, finding Mr Hearnshaw’s lifeless body in the hallway.

Emergency services were called, but all efforts to resuscitate Mr Hearnshaw were unsuccessful.

He was formally declared to have passed away just after 5pm that afternoon.

A post-mortem report by Dr Daniel Howser gave Mr Hearnshaw’s cause of death as asphyxia from hanging.

Reaching a conclusion of suicide, HM Coroner for Pembrokeshire Mark Layton said: “Mr David Edmund Hardy Hearnshaw was in an extremely distressed and anxious state as a result of a number of worries.

“This was a deliberate act intended to end Mr Hearnshaw’s life.”

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