A KIDDERMINSTER father suffering from a serious episode of depression appeared to be improving before killing himself “out of the blue”, a Coroner heard.

Trevor Chamberlain, 62, of Marlpool Lane, had given no indication he was thinking of self-harm before his wife Rebecca Chamberlain found him hanged after she returned home from work on April 17.

Worcestershire Coroner’s Court, Stourport, heard yesterday father-of-two Mr Chamberlain had been suffering from the mental illness since November last year. It was his first episode of depression.

After being referred by a GP to now-retired community psychiatric nurse Maxine Joghee in February he was switched to a new anti-depressant and by his next appointment a month later he had made a “solid improvement”.

Ms Joghee told the court at that stage Mr Chamberlain had denied having any thoughts of self-harm and “he had no signs he had thought about taking his own life”.

She did, however, become concerned when Mr Chamberlain rescheduled an appointment he was originally due to attend on April 12 because he had fallen in the garden and hurt his back.

In a statement read out in the court, Mrs Chamberlain said her husband had “up days and down days” and “generally did not want to go out to socialise”.

“Apart from depression he never really had anything else wrong,” she added.

Worcestershire Coroner Geraint Williams, who recorded a conclusion of suicide, said: “He gave no indication he had anything like that in mind. It was really completely unexpected and out of the blue.”

He added, however: “He was an intelligent man who would have known what he was doing and what the outcome would have been.”

Mr Williams told the court no note had been left.