As reported by: The Mirror
A RACING fan killed himself the day after he lost £10,000 gambling on the horses.

Builder John Bailey, 46, had already lost £6,000 that week betting by phone on races at Goodwood.

As his debts mounted, he went to his parents' home and hanged himself in their garage.

His father Donald found him, but he was already dead.

Yesterday, an inquest heard that Mr Bailey lived most of the time in Thailand but returned to Britain during the summer.

His landlord, Lee Adkin, said the father-of-two was not a regular gambler.

"He would have the television on watching the Goodwood races.

"There were a couple of bets he made and he showed me the winnings of them and they must have been quite substantial bets."

Coroner's officer Neil Murdoch said: "During the week he had lost about £6,000 on horse racing bets. He lost a further £10,000 in one day."

Donald Bailey told the inquest that when his son visited his home in Bournemouth on July 31 he seemed "distracted".

He said he thought his son had gone for a walk but discovered his body hanging in his garage. The inquest also heard that Mr Bailey was due to have an operation, which he may have been worried about.

Coroner Sheriff Payne said: "It is clear he had things on his mind and was unhappy at the time."

After the verdict a Gambler's' Anonymous spokesman said: "The Government makes a lot from gambling, but puts nothing back."