A MAN who suffered from alcoholism and depression killed himself, an inquest has said.

Worcestershire Coroners Court heard how Brian Armitage, aged 49, hanged himself in the cellar of his sister's house on Belmont Street.

Dr Richard Crellin, consultant psychiatrist at Newtown Hospital in Worcester, said he had treated Mr Armitage and genuinely believed he was getting better.

"The thing about suicide is that the risk of someone committing it is increased by heavy drinking.

"When he came into the hospital and we started him on alcohol withdrawal treatment, the risk of suicide went down," he said.

He added that Mr Armitage, a senior engineering technician, had begun drinking in December 1998, after being assaulted and losing his self-confidence.

"He was using alcohol to manage his anxiety and depression," added Dr Crellin.

Mr Armitage's sister, Jean, found him dead in the cellar, with a white cable around his neck, on July 17 last year.

"I find it rather strange that there was no alcohol in his blood," said the coroner, Victor Round.

"So he knew exactly what he was doing."