By Holly Robinson

THE family of Parkinson's disease sufferer John Coombs, whose body was found in the River Avon at Melksham in May, has been told the precise details of his death will never be known.

Mr Coombs went missing from his warden-controlled bungalow in Rowley Place, Melksham, on April 10 without his medication.

An inquest in Chippenham on Wednesday heard Mr Coombs, who did not always take his medication properly, had found it difficult to come to terms with his condition and often made half-hearted attempts to take his own life.

His brother Michael Coombs said: "He was always around town and used to do a lot of walking, but when his medication wore off he would get into difficulty."

He said his brother, who was well-known round Melksham, had been depressed and often threatened to end it all.

He said: "He found it very hard with Parkinson's and he never really adjusted."

The inquest was told Mr Coombs often overdosed on his tablets and had twice been stopped from jumping off bridges into the river. He had also attempted to take his life with a blunt knife.

Mr Coombs' GP, Dr Robert Hardie, said Mr Coombs should have been unable to move without medication but often seemed to recover. He said his opinion, although not backed by the consultants, was that Mr Coombs had a bizarre behavioural mobility problem and not normal Parkinson's disease.

Extensive police searches using dogs and the police helicopter, and a poster and media campaign failed to find Mr Coombs.

Sgt Alan Strike said there had been several sightings in the first few days and then nothing until the body was spotted in the river by two boys on a coach.

A post-mortem examination concluded Mr Coombs had drowned and his body had been submerged in the water for at least 10 days. Parkinson's disease was noted as a contributory factor.

Recording an open verdict, Wiltshire Coroner David Masters said there was not enough evidence to say if Mr Coombs's death had been suicide or an accident.