Gambler's overdose probably accident

But deputy assistant Wiltshire coroner Richard Van Oppen said there was no evidence to suggest he intended to take his own life.

The inquest heard Mr Wickham, 44, of Willow Bank, Chippenham, suffered from depression, diabetes, high-blood pressure and epileptic fits and had tried to kill himself before.

His former wife Jayne Wickham said she had known her husband for 20 years and believed he would never have taken his life without leaving a note for his sons.

She said she believed his medical problems, the tablets he took, and the stress of his gambling debts finally caught up with him.

Friend Ian Monnery said Wickham was careless with his medication and often forgot when he had taken it.

In his statement he said: "I am devastated by his death. I'm sure he would not have taken his life deliberately.

"Although he had some problems he was not the sort of person to take his own life."

He said he had known the deceased at school. When they left school Mr Wickham joined the Department of Housing and Social Services. He said it was then that he started to put the occasional bet on the horses.

Mr Wickham's body was discovered on July 27 when his son Darren went to visit him at his home. He said the lounge was untidy, which was unusual.

He went upstairs, but did not see anything else unusual, but then he heard his dad's dog barking and went into his brother Lee's room where he found his father sitting on the edge of the bed, slumped to one side.

He said he tried to wake his father and then telephoned his mother on his mobile phone, before ringing 999.

He said he found his father's gambling book, where he kept a careful record of all his wins and losses, with all the pages torn out.

Mr Van Oppen said a post mortem examination showed Mr Wickham died from an overdose of prescribed pills.

He said: "There is no evidence that Mr Wickham intended to take his own life. The only verdict open to me is accidental death."