A mentally ill man who fell 50ft to his death at the Museum of Liverpool had told staff to "leave him alone" just moments earlier.
Stephen Pollitt had been on the phone to his mum on Sunday, March 3, when he signalled his intention to take his own life, an inquest has heard.
The 38-year-old had taken off his jacket and was seen to clamber onto the balustrades on the second floor balcony of the tourist attraction.
Rebecca Feeley, a National Museums Liverpool employee, was working her first-ever shift at the visitor attraction.
She was watching out for members of the public putting items on the balustrades in case they toppled over the edge.
Coroner's officer Simon Knuckey read a statement in which she said she saw a man wearing earphones, at around 11am, and assumed he was looking for someone.
Ms Feeley had wanted him to move his phone, but when she approached him, she noticed he appeared to be having an argument with someone.
Mr Pollitt, who lived in Garston, turned towards her and said: "Go away, go away, please," seemingly in an "angry or anxious" mood.
Her statement continued: "I went to speak to a colleague about the way he had spoken to me. I was unsure if he had special educational needs. He did not want to speak to anyone.
"I saw him stand up on top of the balustrades and then saw him go over.
"I can't remember if he stepped out or jumped.
"He was white, aged 30-40s, who spoke with a local accent, and was wearing a hoodie and jeans.
"I'd not seen him before."
Alex Butler, another museum worker, was near the Double Fantasy - John and Yoko - exhibition when she heard a woman suddenly cry out.
Over her shoulder she saw Mr Pollitt go over the edge, but noticed that he "did not appear to be in distress" at the time.
The final statement, from museum visitor Nicola Woods, recorded how she was waiting on the ground floor for her husband while he was in the toilets.
She rushed to Mr Pollitt after he landed, and checked for any sign of a pulse.
Reading her statement, Mr Knuckey said: "She knew he had passed away.
"He wasn't in pain, it [his death] was instantaneous. She didn't see him breathing."
At around 11.05am, Liverpool Coroner's Court in Kirkdale heard, emergency services were called and reached the scene within five minutes.
Mr Pollitt's dad, who attended this morning's inquest along with other relatives, telephoned police after his son had got off the phone with his wife, informing them the 38-year-old had signalled his intention to take his own life.
The court heard how the family "feared the worst".
No alcohol or recreational drugs were found in Mr Pollitt's body, and the only substance present in his system was his therapeutic medication.
His family told assistant coroner Simon Holder their son's "demands had become quite intense" in the last few months of his life.
His mum revealed he had been "threatening to jump in front of a train and had taken an overdose two weeks before."
She added: "I just think he wanted out...."
The Pollitt family said their son was on Merseycare's "stepped up care" the highest level of support that was possible.
He had previously been diagnosed with misophonia, a mental health disorder which means that certain sounds trigger emotional or physiological responses.
Mr Holder said: "It must have been massively troubling."
Mr Pollitt's mum said: "His world got smaller... he couldn't go to the cinema... his world just shrunk."
Mr Pollitt had Asperger's Syndrome which, according to the coroner, would have caused "incredible sensory overload".
He added: "How these people manage to cope on a day-to-day basis is remarkable. They do so with the love and support of their families.
"It became increasingly more difficult for Stephen to cope. He was finding life too much.
"It must have taken a lot of courage and bravery to make that decision."
Concluding, Mr Holder said: "We know, having just spoken to his family, this was a deliberate act on his part, climbing up on the balustrades, and making that decision.
"Stephen obviously followed through with the threat and jumped off that balustrade.
"It couldn't have been accidental as he had to climb on top of it. He had to physically hoist himself up before making that decision.
"It wasn't done in a moment of panic. Stephen intended to injure himself."
Mr Pollitt used to attend Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School in West Derby but had stopped going at around the age of 14 after being subjected to bullying.
His family added they had recently started at Asperger's Collective, describing it as part of his "legacy."
Verdict: Suicide
