The grieving widow of a DFS furniture warehouse manager, who was found hanging at work, claims he was bullied and threatened by bosses.

Jane Wagstaff made the allegations at the inquest into her husband's death at Westminster Coroner's Court, last Thursday.

The couple had been married for 15 years and lived with their two children, aged nine and six, in Shaftesbury Road, Carshalton.

Mark Wagstaff, 37, had been found hanging from shelving on November 14 last year in the warehouse of the New Malden branch of DFS, at Shannon's Corner.

Two firemen from New Malden station were alerted by a DFS employee and broke their picket lines to help branch manager James Meakin revive him.

But Mr Wagstaff died four days later.

Mrs Wagstaff told the court her husband had been bullied and threatened by Mr Meakin and Keith Baker, DFS director for the South of England.

She said: "There were lots of problems at work a form of bullying. He was constantly being threatened with the sack."

However, it also emerged Mr Wagstaff had a history of depression and made a half-hearted attempt to end his life, shortly before the hanging, with a mix of anti-depressants and hay fever pills.

Mr Meakin, responsible for sales at the store, told the court Mr Wagstaff had gone on holiday just before his death and seemed unhappy to be back, facing the Christmas upsurge in work demands.

He said he had nightly discussions with Mr Wagstaff about the high number of goods damaged in transit and ways to improve things.

DFS worker Terry Mobile, who knew and worked with Mr Wagstaff for years, said his friend had told him DFS wanted him to go to Croydon or Slough to try and "perk himself up".

It emerged he had not been keen on the idea put forward by Mr Baker and was worried about his performance levels at work.

Mr Baker said he had always got on with Mr Wagstaff and had been trying to help him. He said that, ironically, the store had been doing really well at the time.

Mr Meakin has been transferred to the company's South Ruislip store since the incident.

Deputy coroner Robert Prescott recorded a verdict of misadventure, concluding there was no evidence of intention by Mr Wagstaff to take his own life. DFS ignored an invitation to comment after the inquest.

January 29, 2003 14:00