A man who died after being pulled from a canal took his own life after suffering from years of pain.
Neil Blackhurst, from Great Sutton, was taken to hospital after he was found in the Shropshire Union Canal at Backford Bridge near Chester.
But the 55-year-old sadly died at the Countess of Chester Hospital on May 9, reports CheshireLive.
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His wheelchair and mobility support were found next to the canal along with documents that identified him, an inquest heard.
An inquest into his death held in Warrington on Friday, December 17 heard the 55-year-old had had been suffering from depression due to the issues caused by having Multiple Sclerosis (MS) for three decades.
His wife Tracy said he had been admitted to hospital in February due to problems with his bowels and after he came out he 'wasn't the same'.
In a statement read out by assistant coroner for Cheshire Heath Westerman, she said: “Neil had MS for 30 years and his condition had deteriorated in the past 10 years. He has never done anything to hurt himself or attempt suicide in the past.
“He was admitted to hospital on February 25, he had problems with his bowels. Due to Covid restrictions we were unable to see Neil.
"We did speak to staff but there were communication problems over what was going on.
“On his return home he wasn’t the same. I could see that he was down and I even contacted his GP around April 12 to inform him that I was concerned about his mental state.
"He (Neil) was still the supportive, loving and friendly man he always was. But he would say ‘I have had enough, I can’t do this anymore’.
"That was due to his illness taking away so much of his body that the thought of losing control of further organs was just too much for him.
“The last couple of weeks before Neil took his own life, he seemed absolutely fine. He was eating, drinking, socialising and on the day before there were no signs that Neil was going to do what he did."
Mrs Blackhurst said police were called after she entered Neil's room on the morning of May 9 and found he wasn't there.
A statement from Det Sgt Paul Nolan, from Cheshire Police, confirmed Mr Blackhurst was found by people who were jogging past Backford Bridge.
Emergency services arrived and pulled him from the water onto the canal tow path, where they gave him CPR before he was taken to the Countess of Chester Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Det Sgt Nolan confirmed that Mr Blackhurst's wheelchair and mobility support were found next to the canal, as well as a bag that contained his passport, bank statements and hospital identification bracelets.
The officer said there were no signs of third-party involvement and no suspicious circumstances.
A statement from Mr Blackhurst's GP said he had been 'treated intermittently for depression from 2015 onwards'.
They added: "In more recent times, dating back to Jan 2020, he suffered with low moods and during consultations he was initially prescribed with sertraline."
A post-mortem concluded that the medical cause of death was drowning.
Recording a conclusion of suicide, Mr Westerman said: "Given the evidence that the police found no suspicious circumstances or third party involvement, I am satisfied that I believe that Neil did the act himself and he did it with the intention of ending his own life."
