A CORONER has recorded an open verdict into the death of a Stourport man whose body was found in the River Severn.

The body of father-of-two Andrew Cooper was found in the River Severn, near to Holt Fleet, in Worcester, on March 17, this year – three months after he was reported missing from his home in Stourport.

Mr Cooper, 44, had last been seen at his home in Stourport on the morning of January 4, but did not show up for work that day. When he didn’t return home later that day as normal, his family called the police. His body was found in the river by a fisherman and later recovered by emergency services on March 17. A post-mortem examination found a large quantity of alcohol in his system.

Worcestershire Coroner’s Court heard Mr Cooper had suffered with alcohol problems over the last year after he had lost his job and suffered from financial problems. He had sought help from his GP and alcohol recovery charity SWANSELL – even completing a 14-day stay at a detoxification rehabilitation centre in Weston-Super-Mare in November/December 2016.

Mr Cooper’s wife, Ceri Cooper, also told the inquest that her husband had had suicidal thoughts in the past – due to his addiction to alcohol and financial troubles.

Mrs Cooper said: “His health was affected when he lost his job at the end of August 2015 – it was such a big change he became depressed. He turned to drink.

“He did not want to look for a new job straight away so he started drinking heavily and spent more time in bed sleeping. He became disinterested in things he found happiness in. He started to lose himself.

“At the start of 2016, he decided he did not want to drink anymore. He finally acknowledged he had a drinking problem. He just stopped drinking. Hours after he stopped drinking we were watching television and he had a seizure, followed by another one. He was then admitted to hospital and underwent a chemical detox.

“On February 27, he started drinking again – he was around alcohol at the time, at a social event. HMRC had been sending him letters which had hid from me – he was not able to manage debt repayments. He drank to forget and switch off. He was involved with SWANSELL at this time.”

She said in March and April he “plummeted” to his worst levels of alcohol intake and wanted to end their relationship – but they reconciled a week later, when he told her he was suicidal, saying “he could not cope”. He had walked towards a railway bridge, but he was deterred by a family member.

She added that Mr Cooper was fined for drink driving in May 2016, but this gave him the motivation to look for work. He had been interviewing for jobs, but due to bad luck was unsuccessful - including being offered a director level job in July, which was withdrawn at the last minute.

Mrs Cooper said he later found work through an agency in the August - which motivated him, he worked overtime and his drinking became controlled. He made new work friends and reconnected with old friends.

Mrs Cooper said: “He took two weeks off sick to go to rehab at beginning of December. That changed him - he was angry and had been affected by other patients. He was really frustrated that he was addicted to alcohol.

“By December 21, he started drinking. He did not want a life without alcohol really. On January 3, his son decided he was moving out of the family home which upset Andy. He understood why but he was upset that it was all his fault.

“On January 4, we knew if he did not go back to work he would be fired. I did everything I could to get him to work and I was angry with him that morning. He told us he was going to work and I believed him.”

David Shellard, a substance abuse worker at SWANSELL, said that he saw Mr Cooper at an appointment in December after his stay at the centre and Mr Cooper had told him he felt “fantastic” and was pleased with how the detox had gone. Mr Shellard said they made an appointment to meet on January 11, as the charity shut down over the Christmas period.

Mr Shellard added: “He never said anything to me about wanting to harm himself or take his own life. I never had any reason to doubt him.”

PC Matthew Harris, of Kidderminster CID, told the inquest Mr Cooper was seen on CCTV walking near Ashton Manor Brewery at 8.20am the day he went missing and he was later seen buying a bottle of vodka from a shop on Worcester Road, in Stourport. His rucksack was found the following day near to the riverbank in Stourport.

At the inquest, Mrs Cooper said: “He was happy, bright, kind and looked after his family. He was smart and intelligent, and had a wide group of friends.

“He loved his family and had a fulfilling job. He was a great person.”

Worcestershire senior coroner Geraint Williams, said Mr Cooper died of immersion in water contributed to by alcohol ingestion, and recorded an open verdict into his death.