The family of a 'beautiful soul' and 'true gent' found dead at home have paid a moving tribute to him. Master joiner Matthew Gac, 31, known as Matt, was found 'collapsed and unresponsive' at his house in Bolton shortly after 1pm on August 13 last year.
Paramedics raced to the property in the Harwood area of the town, but he could not be saved. At an inquest into his death on Thursday, a coroner concluded that he took his own life.
In a heartfelt tribute to him, read at the hearing, his family said he was "the loving son of Peter and Lynn, amazing brother to Chris and Jennifer, brilliant uncle to Freddie and Indie and a genuine friend to many."
They said the former Turton High School pupil qualified as a skilled joiner and "his expertise and perfectionism was admired and appreciated by many."
"He had a massive love of many genres of music and definitely a foodie!" they said. "Always one to know anything new and up and coming. His kindness and generosity was on another level.
"Always sociable, known for his infectious smile, good looks, kind nature, very funny humour, a twinkle in his eye, and being a true gent. So well thought of with a beautiful soul and all his family and friends are incredibly proud of him, and will miss him forever."
Matt had episodes of depression, inquest heard
The inquest was told Matt had 'a history of modest anxiety, low mood, and depressive episodes.' This included an incident in August 2019 where he was detained under the mental health act by police after they received reports he was at risk of self-harming after returning from a music festival.
His mother Lynn told the hearing she believed he may have decided then he wanted to end his life. However, his sister Jennifer said she believed that was a 'cry for help' and that 'we had worked on it and he was getting better.'
The hearing was told he was prescribed anti-depressants but that he was 'clear that he did not want to be medicated' and was only 'sporadically concordant' in taking them.
Lynn, a retired mental health nurse, said she believed he would have benefited from Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and that a referral to a private psychiatrist was 'in progress' at the time of his death and 'just didn't go through in time.'
His GP, Dr Lawrence Wong, said during consultations with both himself and other practitioners at the surgery he 'consistently denied having any suicidal thoughts' adding his death came as a 'shock' to him and staff at the Egerton & Dunscar Health Centre.
Following a post-mortem examination, pathologist Dr Patrick Waugh gave Matt's cause of death as hanging.
The inquest heard Matt went out to a couple of pubs on the Friday evening before returning home. He wasn't seen again until his body was discovered. Jennifer said the family believed he may have 'come home and been drinking a bit more.'
Tests showed that the post-mortem amount of alcohol in his blood was twice the drink-drive limit. Toxicologist Dr Julie Evans said this could have caused 'exacerbated emotional responses and diminished inhibitions.'
'He had so much to live for'
However, Senior Coroner Timothy Brennand said 'it would not have rendered him so manifestly incoherent he was not able to appreciate the consequences of his actions.'
He said Matt, who the inquest heard had booked two holidays with his family for later that year, 'had so much to live for, and so much to look forward to.' However, he said it was clear that around the time of his death, he was 'entering a clear phase of deterioration in his mental health.'
He said evidence from his mobile phone showed that a 'short number of days before his tragic death he had made a number of clear and sustained searches' in order to 'educate himself on the means he could bring his life to an end.'
Mr Brennand said he had concluded Matt's death was a 'quite deliberate act' and was 'not only deliberate but intentional' as he recorded a conclusion of suicide.
Following Matt's tragic death, his family launched a fundraising appeal for the mental health charity CALM saying they 'don’t want others similar to Matt and their families to suffer like we have.'
To date they have raised more than £4,000 in his memory. You can find out more about the appeal and donate by clicking here.
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