AN ICE cream salesman died after falling asleep in his car with the engine running while it was locked in his garage.

But Swindon and Wiltshire deputy coroner William Bache ruled out suicide in the inquest into the death of David Coxhead, 48, of Wootton Bassett, who died in January .

The part time ice cream van driver died after a late night argument with fourth wife, Dawn.

The coroner's court heard that Mr Coxhead had spent most of the day in the Borough Arms pub in Wootton Bassett High Street after winning £125 betting on horses.

Mrs Coxhead met him for a drink in the pub on January 18 after she finished her shift at the One Stop Shop, also in the High Street, and they returned home at 12.30am. Mr Coxhead was drunk but able to walk and talk and went home in a happy mood.

But when the couple arrived at their home in Showfield an argument broke out while they were cooking their dinner.

Mr Coxhead threw a glass ashtray at his wife which missed and then punched her on the left side of her face, although Mrs Coxhead told the inquest he did not intend to hit her.

She heard him leave and told the coroner that when they argued he would often go for a walk to clear his head and return 10 or 20 minutes later. Mrs Coxhead went to bed expecting him to return home.

Mrs Coxhead called her husband's mobile phone from work the next day and received no response. When she returned home her neighbour suggested looking in his garage. He was discovered in his Rover car at 6.30pm in the garage with the engine running The car's doors were locked.

The court heard the cause of his death was carbon monoxide poisoning. It was very cold on the night of January 18 to 19 and Mr Coxhead had turned the heating on and had the air vents pointing towards him.

There were no attachments to the car's exhaust and no evidence of a suicide note, text message on his mobile phone or final cigarette.

Coroner Mr Bache said: "I find the circumstances perplexing. He appeared to be a happy -go-lucky man but there was another side to his character, as revealed by his wife.

"I do not know how long the car engine had been running, I would have thought it strange to have been running all of the night and all day Sunday. Because no one seems to have heard it I believe he turned it on to warm himself up late on Sunday.

"There is nothing like the evidence needed that I need to satisfy myself that he had killed himself but there are sufficient features that I am unable to rule it out.

"I therefore record an open verdict."

Speaking after the inquest Mr Coxhead's wife Dawn, 39, a housewife from Wootton Bassett said: "I have mixed feelings at the verdict, I am a little dazed and shocked.

"He was a lovely bloke, he treated me well.

"Like any couple we had arguments but it was a happy marriage, we had good times and bad times.

"I don't think he killed himself. It was a tragic accident."