A BUSINESSMAN from Burnley who became despondent over the return of his gambling addiction took his own life, an inquest heard.

The family of Andrew Jones, 37, believed he had conquered his gambling demons, Burnley Coroner's Court was told.

Some 18 months ago Mr Jones, of Clover Crescent, had a heart-to-heart talk with his wife Catherine after amassing debts due to his betting problems.

And Mrs Jones believed he no longer gambled, not even on fruit machines, and had turned the corner, enrolling for support with Gamblers Anonymous.

But the court heard that concerns arose when Mr Jones, described as a loving family man, failed to attend a business meeting last March.

Colleagues informed Mrs Jones who later reported him to police as a missing person.

He was later found at another address, in Meadowbank Mews, Nelson, having taken an overdose of a combination of analgesics, including paracetamol and tramadol.

The inquest heard he had given no clues as to his intentions - or his latest gambling problems.

But according to East Lancashire coroner Richard Taylor, he had left a note in which he described his "despondency" over the return of his betting affliction.

Mrs Jones said: "He was a happy chap who was successful and in work and loved his children.

"There was nothing which would have given us any indication that he would do this.

"He did have work pressures. You could call it stress, but I never thought it would come to this.

"He would do anything for anybody. I would never have said he was depressed."

She told the inquest that he had encountered problems with gambling 18 months ago but she believed they had been resolved. She had only recently realised these had returned.

Mrs Jones said he had attended Gamblers Anonymous initially - but did not believe the sessions were helping him so he stopped going.

She said her husband had thought he was "letting everbody down" as a result of his gambling problems.

Later Mrs Jones told the inquest: "I can only assume, but I think that he thought that he was going down the same slippery slope and thought that he would not be able to get out of it."

Recording a suicide verdict, coroner Mr Taylor said: "When you are faced with a situation such as this all you can think about is 'what if this had happened', 'what if he had spoken about it, 'how could we have helped'.

"Sometimes the total despondency, that appear to come through in the note, is overwhelming and it may well be that there is nothing anyone could done, if that was his determination.

"It is extremely difficult for anyone to understand and comprehend that because I have the image of someone who was a decent, good and happy person, a hard worker.

"But he just seems to have to be afflicted by that particular problem he had."