Gambling losses led to tragedy - inquest

Sellathurai Vinoharan, who also did a paper round in the town, worked hard for years, scrimping and saving for more than a decade so he could pay for his sister’s wedding in Sri Lanka, the hearing in Newbury was told.
But then the 30-year-old apparently blew the lot in a nine-day binge at bookmakers.
Berkshire coroner Peter Bedford described the losses as “eye watering.”
Mr Vinoharan, a Sri Lankan-born British national, apparently killed himself rather than face the shame.
In a “perfectly timed” leap, he threw himself from the platform at Hungerford rail station at 4.28am on October 18 last year in front of the oncoming freight service from Avonmouth to Didcot.
Train driver Iain Davies told the inquest he was approaching Hungerford at around 60mph when he spotted a lone figure on the otherwise deserted platform.
He added: “He turned to face the edge, took three steps forward, crouched down and then jump
ed. It appeared to be a deliberate act, perfectly timed.”
Mr Davies braked in vain and came to a halt one third of a mile down the line, the inquest heard.
Post mortem tests revealed Mr Vinoharan - known as Vino at Tesco where he was a popular night shift worker - died from multiple injuries. No drugs or alcohol were found in his system.
Father-of-one Kannan Thambirajah said he had known Mr Vinoharan for 11 years and that his friend had lived with him at his family home in Williams Court, Hungerford.
He described Mr Vinoharan as a conscientious, hard worker who rarely went out because he was saving all his money to pay for his sister’s imminent wedding.
He told the hearing that, two days before his death, Mr Vinoharan had seemed depressed and had told him an unlikely tale of losing many thousands of pounds in a bag on a train trip.
Mr Thambirajah said: “I didn’t really believe his story.”
His suspicions were confirmed following the tragedy, the inquest heard, when betting slips were found stuffed in a bin in Mr Vinoharan’s room indicating a calamitous, nine-day gambling spree.
Mr Bedford said: “These were eye-watering amounts. What’s clear is that this man promised his family money; he has gambled, for whatever reason and that money has been lost.
“We know how low he was and that he was very worried about the consequences. I am satisfied that Mr Vinoharan tragically took his own life.”