A "wonderful husband and dad" with no history of mental health problems took his own life, an inquest heard today.
Consultant toxicologist Paul Parsons, 55, was found dead at his home on Sunningdale Road in Wallasey on May 17 this year.
An inquest into his death, at Gerard Majella Courthouse in Kirkdale, today heard how "incredibly intelligent" and "down to earth" Paul had no prior history of mental health problems, although the family had noticed a "sudden change" in the days leading up to his death.
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Addressing the court, his wife Jane paid tribute to her husband, saying "He was just a wonderful husband and dad."
His brother Mike also paid tribute to the dad-of-two and said: "He was by far the most rounded and grounded person I know.
"He was incredibly intelligent but he was so down to earth you wouldn't know what he did for a living.
"He was life's joker, he'd walk into a pub and have everyone in stitches, a truly remarkable man."
Coroner Anita Bhardwaj said Mr Parsons was "clearly suffering from something suddenly" in the days leading up to his death.
The court heard that on May 15, Mr Parsons had spoken to his wife about concerns he was being stalked by taxi drivers.
The coroner said Mr Parsons did not have a history of mental health problems but had become increasingly paranoid after an unreported road rage incident in November 2020.
However the coroner stated the impact of that incident on Mr Parsons' health was unclear.
Coroner's officer Elise Fahey, reading a summary of the evidence, described how a handwritten note had been found at the scene and a toxicology report showed low levels of alcohol and low levels of diazepam in Mr Parsons' system.
Mr Parsons' brother Mike said he would have been the "last person" family and friends would have expected to take his own life, although he had noticed a change in the pattern of his brother's texts messages in the week leading up to his death.
Mike said: "He was the first person most of us would turn to which makes it all the more bewildering as he dealt with everything life threw at him."
Anita Bhardwaj, area coroner for Liverpool and Wirral, concluded the cause of death was suicide.
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