A 61-YEAR-OLD man gassed himself after expressing concerns about his pension and his partner's health.

David Lisle was found dead by long-term partner Edmund Noble, an inquest heard.

Mr Lisle, of Cator Road, Penge, had put a plastic bag over his head and connected it to a gas point with a length of tubing.

Croydon Coroner's Court was told Mr Lisle had been treated for depression and had written a suicide note several months before his death on December 30 last year. The letter had spoken of his concerns about his financial future as his pension prospects were in doubt.

It also expressed anxiety about his mother's illness and chest pains Mr Noble had been experiencing, the court heard.

Mr Lisle, a retired electrical engineer, was found by Mr Noble, with whom he had lived for 33 years.

Mr Noble turned off the gas, called the emergency services and ran to fetch a neighbour to help but it was too late, coroner Dr Roy Palmer was told.

Pathologist Dr Adam Coumbe gave the cause of death as asphyxia.

Dr Palmer recorded a suicide verdict, and suggested Mr Lisle's money worries may well have contributed.