A MAN who suffered from problems with alcoholism and depression was found hanged at his Barrow home, an inquest heard.

Forty-one-year-old Gavin Teeley was found at his address on Provincial Street on January 16, 2020, after he had not been seen or heard from at work for ‘a number of days’.

The inquest heard how Mr Teeley, a groundsman, had spent time at The Well, which provides alcohol addiction support, in Barrow. He left The Well in 2018.

Late in 2019, Mr Teeley separated from his partner, Samantha Jayne Davidson.

Mr Teeley’s mother Jeanette said in a statement that her son was involved in a custody battle over Ms Davidson’s daughter.

“It was clear to me that he was struggling with all that was happening in his life at the time,” said Ms Teeley.

She said her son found the time off from work over the Christmas period ‘difficult’ as he wanted to ‘keep his mind busy’.

Cockermouth Coroner’s Court heard that Mr Teeley had taken medication to tackle low mood in the past, although he was not taking any at the time of his death.

The toxicology report revealed Mr Teeley had alcohol in his body when he died, although the impact of this would have been ‘dependant on his level of tolerance’.

Concluding, Craig Smith, assistant coroner for Cumbria, described it as a ‘sad and tragic death’ and said: “We hear that he struggled with depression and alcohol problems in later life.

“It is very clear from the evidence that Gavin fought against these problems.”

He concluded Mr Teeley died by suicide.