A former police worker hanged himself after a long period of depression, an inquest heard on Thursday.

Nadanagukusamy Jeganathin, 61, was found handing from a bannister by a pair of tights on April 2, after several unsuccessful suicide attempts.

Westminster Coroner’s Court heard how Mr Jeganathin, who was a civilian worker for the Metropolitan Police, had been treated for depression since 2002.

The maths and physics graduate left Sri Lanka at the age of 33 because of the civil unrest and settled with his family in Idlecombe Road, Tooting.

Dr Anthony Barton, coroner, said: “This is a tragic case of a man who, in the last eight years or so, has been presented with a depressive illness which appears to have got worse.

“There had been previous suicide attempts. There were notes indicating that the deceased intended to take his own life.”

He recorded a verdict of suicide by hanging.