GAZETTE & HERALD: Funeral director John French committed suicide after being bullied at work because he was gay, an inquest heard.

He took a lethal cocktail of drugs on February 6 this year after an internal investigation at work failed to fall in his favour.

Mr French, 36, from Buckingham Road, Chippenham worked as a senior funeral director at Co-operative Funeral Services in Bath.

The inquest was held at Salisbury Coroner's Court last Thursday and was attended by his partner of 12 years, Paul Tucker.

Mr Tucker told the coroner that his partner had been under considerable pressure at work because he was being bullied for being gay.

The day of his suicide, a tribunal had been held at his work but it did not have a favourable outcome for Mr French, said Mr Tucker.

Mr French returned home and, while his partner was cooking dinner, he took a mixture of prescription drugs with brandy. Mr French telephoned Primecare medical advice hotline which put him in contact with the duty doctor in Chippenham, Dr Michael Gaunt.

Reading Dr Gaunt's evidence, coroner Richard van Oppen said: "He said he was suicidal and had taken some tablets. His speech was disordered and illogical.

"He said that he needed help. He said he might go down and jump off a bridge and that he had been prevented from jumping off a bridge earlier in the week."

Dr Gaunt told Mr French to get himself to hospital but he said no and hung up the phone.

Dr Gaunt then phoned Chippenham Community Hospital and spoke to staff who knew Mr French. They rang the poison unit in London for advice.

Dr Gaunt rang for an ambulance and asked the driver to take Mr French to Bath Royal United Hospital. Then he called Mr French's house and left a message saying the paramedics were coming.

When the ambulance arrived Mr French was asleep.

After taking advice, the paramedics woke Mr French but he started thrashing out violently. The paramedics called the police because they were worried for their own safety as Mr French was a large man.

Paramedic Phillip Green told the coroner that Mr Tucker was very vague when he opened the door and not forthcoming.

PC Ben Blackmore spoke to Mr Tucker who told him Mr French had been off work with stress due to homophobic abuse . When police searched the house they found a letter detailing grievances about the way Mr French felt he had been treated.

Mr French had been a patient of Dr Darragh O'Driscoll at Lodge Surgery for a number of years and was prescribed a number of different medications for insomnia, asthma, depression, stress and anxiety.

Dr O'Driscoll saw him for the last time on January 29 when he signed him off work for two weeks, the inquest heard. He said: "He said he was being harassed at work. There were comments because of his sexuality. I got the impression he felt let down by work."

Mr van Oppen recorded that Mr French took his own life and described it as a tragedy.

A spokesman from Co-operative Funeral Services said: "When John brought allegations of harassment from a fellow employee to our attention, we acted immediately, carried out a full investigation into the matter and took appropriate disciplinary action.

"Our employees are well aware that we will not tolerate harassment of any kind in the workplace. John was a valued member of our team, who we sadly miss."