Newbury company director took his own life after experiencing ‘money troubles’, coroner rules

A Newbury company director was found hanged in a Hamstead Marshall cow shed, after experiencing “money troubles” in his life, a coroner has ruled.

On September 16, the morning before he was reported missing, John Gregory had left for work and texted his partner throughout the day – having spent the previous evening, a Sunday, with her – giving her “no cause for concern”, the coroner found.

The 60-year-old, of Leslie Southern Court, had not returned home that night, during which time he was believed to have gone to the pub with a friend.

When he did not attend a work meeting on September 17, it prompted a missing persons report to the police, the inquest records. He was found two days later.

Katy Thorne KC, the assistant coroner for Berkshire, wrote: “His vehicle had been spotted on farmland in Hamstead Marshall and by September 19 it had not moved and so the farm worker contacted the police to report it.

“The farm worker then found John Gregory’s body in one of the cow sheds nearby,” the coroner stated, adding that emergency services attended the scene, but there were no life-saving opportunities.

“Police attended and they and the pathologist found no evidence of third-party involvement,” Ms Thorne found in an inquest in writing at Reading Coroner’s Court.

Mr Gregory – who was born in Chiswick, West London, and was previously known as Jonathan Barstow – died of compression of the neck by ligature, a pathologist found.

“On post mortem examination, alcohol and cocaine were found in his blood, indicating recent use,” the coroner added.

“There were no letters expressing intention but in John Gregory’s medical history there was evidence of a previous suicide attempt in 2018, when he had significant money troubles.

“At the time of his death he had money troubles.”

Ms Thorne ruled Mr Gregory had intentionally ended his own life and concluded his death was a suicide.

“He had chosen a method and a location where he was unlikely to be found and saved before he died,” the coroner explained.

“The amount of cocaine and alcohol in his body were not in sufficient quantities to render him incapable of forming such intent.”

Anyone seeking support at the moment can contact the following organisations.

Samaritans: www.samaritans.org – call 116 123 – email jo@samaritans.org

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Mental Health Crisis Team – call if you need urgent help, but it’s not an emergency 0300 365 0300 or 0300 365 9999

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