A RETIRED insurance agent took his own life after a long history of mental problems, an inquest heard.

Mr Clement Whittaker (75), of Greenside Drive, Greenmount, died from carbon monoxide poisoning after connecting an exhaust pipe into the back seat of his car in his garage on May 9.

Bury Coroner's Court was told on Wednesday that Mr Whittaker was born in Ramsbottom and attended local schools before starting careers as a clerk then an insurance agent.

His wife, Mrs Brenda Whittaker, described her husband as a quiet and retiring man: "He enjoyed life outdoors, being in the fresh air, and once he got to know people he would be a friend for life."

Mr Whittaker, who spent two years in the RAF, experienced spells of ill mental health over 40 years and became a voluntary patient at the mental health unit at Faifield General Hospital.

In November 2003 he was admitted to Fairfield after phoning for an ambulance claiming he felt suicidal.

From then on he remained at Cottage Hospital, Ramsbottom, but, on a weekend visit home in January, Mr Whittaker took an overdose of paracetamol which his family believed to be a cry for help.

Mrs Whittaker said: "He used to say he could not go on any further, he had no interests and everything he would have liked to have done he did not want to do any more."

The court heard how, on the morning of his death, Mr Whittaker decided to stay at home while his wife left for church. She returned later in the morning to find Mr Whittaker sitting in their car.

The former nurse checked for signs of life.

He was taken to Fairfield where the consultant pathologist's report confirmed Mr Whittaker had died from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Consultant Pyschiatrist, Dr Prassat, told the court how Mr Whittaker had spent several years on the drug lithium to control his depression but was weaned off when it was thought to be causing kidney problems.

Mr Whittaker's son, Nigel Whittaker, of Helmsdale Close, Ramsbottom, believed this is what eventually led to his father's suicide: "After being on medication for 40 years then to be on nothing at all I think caused him to panic and triggered his anxiety."

The coroner, Simon Nelson, concluded that Mr Whittaker had taken his own life while suffering from a depressive illness.

He said: "I would hope that the family are able to come to terms with the very tragic consequences of which Mr Whittaker died and concentrate on the very positive attributes of their father and husband."