A man was found dead in his own home after a neighbour called the RSPCA to report a dog scratching at the door trying to get out. The RSPCA tried feeding the dog through the letterbox, but by the tine access was gained to the house the dog was found dead alongside its owner.
An inquest heard Reginald Moors never left his dog alone and hadn't been seen by neighbours for two weeks. RSPCA inspectors visited his housing association property on January 7 and 8 of this year.
As they were unable to get a response they gave his dog food through the letter box and put tape across the door to see if anyone was coming and going from the property. On the third day, January 9, the dog was seen lying by the patio door through the letterbox. Entry was forced into his home by a PCSO who knew Mr Moors well having supported him on many occasions in the past over issues with neighbours and housing.
He told in a statement how he found Mr Moors dead on the sofa surrounded by multiple empty medication packets with a suicide note nearby. His dog was also found dead by the patio door, reports DevonLive.
One side of the suicide note stated he had taken an overdose and the other side asked for the RSPCA to look after his dog. Police confirmed there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding his death or third-party involvement.
The cause of death was confirmed as being the effects of the medications he had taken.
His mother told in a statement read out during the inquest that Mr Moors was born in Aldershot and was described as being 'hyper' in his early years. He was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) at the age of 10 and was said to have not coped well in mainstream school so was sent to a boarding school for children with emotional and behavioural disorders.
He moved to Buckinghamshire and at his new school he became the victim of sexual abuse by a member of staff which was reported to the police. A man was said to be sentenced to 19 years in prison alongside two other men.
Mr Moors moved to Bournemouth to build a relationship was his father and was said not to have received any counselling. In his early adulthood, he ended up moving to Devon but his life was said to have started to go downhill when a relationship ended.
He also became involved in a lengthy court case with his landlord, Teign Housing, which was settled out of court and when he was moved into a two-bedroom bungalow in Bovey Tracey he changed his name from Richard Lane to make a fresh new start.
He continued to battle with his mental health and addiction to alcohol, including homebrew. His mother said: "Doctors warned if he continued he would not make it to 40."
The last contact his mother recalled having him was on the phone on December 21. She told how he found Christmas a difficult time of year and would spend it alone, and would always look forward to February when the weather started improving.
She said it was not unusual for him to go 'quiet' over the festive period so she had no reason to be concerned that she had not heard from him for a while. She said: "I was extremely shocked to hear he had taken his own life. There really was no indication that he would try to kill himself. He was looking forward to the future and had plans."
A close friend told in a statement how they had known each other for 16 years and that he loved his dog called Lexi. She recalled the last time she had spoken to him was also on the phone on December 21 when they had a disagreement and she had later apologised.
She said: "He was really trying to sort himself out. I loved him. Even though he drove me mad sometimes I thought the world of him."
A statement from his GP told how his medical history included alcohol dependency, cannabis abuse, depression and anxiety and being diagnosed with paranoid personality disorder in around 2017.
It was noted he had overdosed previously in the past and that despite being offered support for his mental health and addictions, he did not engage with local services.
His GP said: "The biggest challenge lay in alcohol addiction which did not get the specialist treatment it most definitely needed."
Recording a conclusion of suicide, coroner Philip Spinney said: "He was known to suffer with his mental health and had a history that included drug and alcohol use and was known to have taken medicine overdoses in the past."
He added: "Taking the evidence as a whole and on the balance of probabilities, it is more likely than not that Mr Moors took the medication with the intention of ending his life."
