A talented vehicle repairer took his life on a beach between Llanreath and Fort Road, Pembroke, an inquest heard on Wednesday, January 12.

Nicholas Barry moved to Pembrokeshire in 1996 with his family. He had a lifelong passion for motor vehicles and a talent for spray painting.

Coroner’s officer, Lisa Jenkins, told the hearing that the 61-year-old worked in various garages in the county, changing jobs when he had the opportunity to expand his knowledge and skills further.

His last job was at IRG garage in Whitland where he worked as a vehicle damage assessor. He enjoyed his work but found it stressful at times.

The inquest heard that 61-year-old Mr Barry suffered from muscle pain and stomach problems and in recent years had problems with his eyesight.

He would unburden himself to his wife, who believed that he was depressed, but it was not diagnosed.

On August 20, his wife, who was visiting her daughter, received a voicemail from Mr Barry which caused her concern.

She travelled back to her home in Pembroke Dock. Mr Barry was not there, and she called the police. At around the same time officers received a call from paramedics to say that a body had been found on the beach near Llanreath.

Two notes were also located at Mr Barry’s home address.

A post-mortem by Dr Petya Nadiva concluded that Mr Barry died as a result of asphyxia and ligature strangulation.

Pembrokeshire coroner Paul Bennett returned a conclusion of suicide, saying that the evidence was that the events leading to Mr Barry’s death were "such as to have been pre-meditated".

He said that this was a "particularly sad and distressing case," and offered his condolences to the family.

“It is clearly very sad when someone is driven to this particular state of mind for whatever reason,” he said. “It is not always entirely clear why that happens.

“While it is never going to be the case that you will be able to put these events behind you, I hope in terms of the inquest process that this will be something that you can move on from and this will give you the opportunity to grieve without this in the background and that that will assist you in your emotional relief.”

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