AN 'amazing dad' was found dead near his home by a dog walker after taking his own life, an inquest has heard.

Christopher Lamonby, 49, of Buller Street, Walney, was discovered on May 29, 2024, in woodland at around 6.15am by the passerby, who called for an ambulance.

Paramedics pronounced him dead at 6.28am.

A statement submitted to Cockermouth Coroner’s Court by Mr Lamonby's mother Maureen, who lived with him, said his mental health issues had become 'more prominent in the last few years of his life'.

Mrs Lamonby paid tribute to her son, saying: "Christopher was such a loving, caring person, he was an amazing dad to his children, and a wonderful son to me.

"He was always there for me and his children, and they absolutely loved him to pieces.

"I was heartbroken when I was told he’d taken his own life.

"I just hope now that he has found peace."

She said on the evening of May 28 she was at home with Mr Lamonby and his son, and he had been in a 'very low mood, constantly up and down the stairs and was very unsettled'.

Mrs Lamonby said he left the house at around 2.45am but said: "He'd often go out for walks late at night to calm himself down."

She told of an incident on May 11, 2024 when she called an ambulance as 'we were concerned for him' as he was 'curled up in a ball on his bed'.

A statement from Cumbria Police told of another incident on May 17 when Mr Lamonby had been briefly detained under the Mental Health Act.

A member of the public had reported what seemed to be a body on the beach but when police attended they found Mr Lamonby asleep and holding a bottle of rum.

The statement said that upon waking, an attendant senior paramedic deemed him to not have capacity 'due to his demeanour'.

It said paramedics deemed he had 'delusions of persecution', and had to be moved to the ambulance by force.

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A statement submitted by a mental health worker said Mr Lamonby had been prescribed methadone 'on and off' for around 20 years and had suffered a relapse in his alcohol and heroin use since deciding to stop his methadone in January 2024.

It said that since stopping he reported using heroin daily and drinking a bottle of spirits every day 'for the last couple of months'.

Records from the mental health assessment that took place at 1pm on May 18 said that Mr Lamonby's 'speech was coherent, his mood was low, and he recognised that addiction was his primary problem', and that he could make decisions about his treatment.

He was discharged back to his mother's address and encouraged to seek help, and he stated that he could self-refer to Recovery Steps.

Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust conducted a rapid learning review following Mr Lamonby's death, acknowledging the value of conducting assessments promptly, keeping communications open with family and caregivers, co-ordinating with other services, and being aware that past behaviour could be an indicator of future behaviour.

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Assistant Coroner for Cumbria Margaret Taylor said these issues did not contribute directly to Mr Lamonby's death.

With no significant toxicological findings, Ms Taylor concluded that Mr Lamonby's cause of death was suicide by hanging.

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