A former Royal Navy veteran has been found dead in his garden after suffering a single gunshot wound.
Garry “Nicholas” Horvarth-Toldi, was discovered by his partner of 23 years who called for police and ambulance services to attend the scene after initially hearing a loud “thump” coming from the garden.
Emergency teams arrived shortly after 1pm on March 14 2021, where they found him in the rear garden lying on the ground.
At an inquest into Garry’s death this week a police report documented that they found a “double barrel shotgun underneath where the body was resting”.
A cause of death of firearm induced head injury was provided by Dr Muhammad Aslam following a postmortem, according to North Wales Live.
A toxicology report showed no traces of alcohol and a therapeutic level of anti depressant in the 52-year-old’s system at the time of death, at his home of Gwynant in Old Colwyn.
The postmortem was delayed because Mr Hovarth-Toldi had tested positive for Covid-19 following his death, which was unbeknown at the time to the family who expressed their “surprise” at the inquest.
Mr Hovarth-Toldi, who was a self employed glass specialist by occupation, had a “history in relation to anxiety and depression”, the coroner heard at Ruthin County Hall.
A week prior to his death, Mr Hovarth-Toldi had a telephone consultation with his GP in which he expressed suicidal thoughts and a desire to be referred to a mental health team.
The 52-year-old’s mood had been low for several weeks at this point and he had stopped cycling as a result, the inquest heard. Minor issues would be “insurmountable” for him, his partner told the court.
Mr Hovarth-Toldi, who served in the Royal Navy, had been a registered firearm holder since 2011 for the purpose of clay pigeon shooting.
He renewed his licence in 2016 and did not state any medical conditions at the time. The licence was due for renewal in November 2021 by which time changes had been made with regards to medical background checks.
The coroner concluded that Mr Hovarth-Toldi’s death was a suicide, outlining the 52-year-old previously expressed thoughts in relation to self harm and his clear understanding of the implication of his actions as the main factors behind the ruling.
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here.
