A MAN killed himself after being convicted of a sex offence against a young girl, an inquest heard.

David Wakeley, 26, of Sandwich Close, Blackburn, was found guilty at Blackburn Magistrates in March of indecently assaulting a 14-year-old girl and was put on the sex offenders register for five years.

Following the trial social services told Mr Wakeley's estranged partner Muriel Matthews that he was no longer allowed to see his two-year-old son Dylan, the hearing was told.

A month later, on April 1, police found Mr Wakeley's body in his car on playing fields at Blacksnape Road, Darwen, with a vacuum cleaner hose running from the exhaust into the cabin.

A note found with the body said: "I thought I could handle it but I can't after today. I've been used and messed about and I've had enough of it and it's better this way, all nice and neat. Don't worry about me, I've gone where no one can bother me. Dave. No speeches, flowers, or vicars, just bury me."

His mother, Marilyn Ljevar, of New Park Street, Blackburn, told an inquest at Blackburn that since Christmas her son had been upset by the accusation against him and was nervous about the trial.

She said: "He was very, very distressed. He said he didn't do it but said he was fed up with life."

Mrs Ljevar said around Christmas she went to his house to find him threatening to hang himself with rope but she managed to calm him down. She said her son was in good spirits for the next couple of months and was enjoying his job as a heavy goods vehicle driver. But that ended when she got a phone call from police in February saying they had David in custody.

She said: "He had been arrested for his own protection by the police after they found him threatening to jump off the top of a car park."

Following the March trial she said her son was resigned to his fate. "He said "I didn't do it mum, but they found me guilty so I'll have to take it". "

The coroner for Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley, Michael Singleton, said a postmortem revealed the cause of death was carbon monoxide poisoning.

Returning a verdict of suicide he said: "It seems events conspired against David, with the court case, and the consequences of the effect it had on access to his son. It seems tragic that he could not see no other way out."