A COMPANY director who shot himself after his firm went into administration was suffering from depression and extreme fatigue, an inquest heard.

Barry Sugrue died from a gun shot wound to the chest at his home in Inkberrow on February 22.

At the inquest into the 38-year-old’s death yesterday, Worcestershire coroner Geraint Williams said there was “no doubt” in his mind that Mr Sugrue killed himself after it all became too much for him.

Having left the Army, Mr Sugrue, who was described as dedicated and hard-working, became a director of fitting-out firm CPL Interiors, in Birmingham, but the company went into administration in December.

Mr Williams said: “Because of his nature this played on his mind.

“He was burdened with all the administration paperwork and became increasingly more anxious.

“He could not see a way through.

"He was not sleeping and became increasingly tired.” Mr Sugrue – who was a captain in the Territorial Army – had started a new job the day before his death but was worried that the job was not what he expected.

On the morning of his death Mr Sugrue’s wife, Monika, had been alarmed to read what he had written in a notebook.

She left the house to get help from the neighbours, but before she could get to them she heard a bang.

When asked by Mr Williams if she believed her husband intended to take his own life, Mrs Sugrue said: “There’s no way to understand suicide.

“I have never been depressed, I don’t know how it feels.

“He was taking medication, seeing professionals and we spoke a lot. If I had any suspicions, I would have tried to help before.”

Mr Sugrue’s brother, Dermot Sugrue, said: “I don’t think a few days before, even a week before, he had any intention of killing himself.

"But the thing that increased his anxiety and led towards him killing himself was the inability to sleep and his depression.

“It was fuelled by extreme fatigue. I think it’s something that he decided to do that particular morning because he had had enough.”

After the inquest Mr Sugrue said of his brother: “He was a very talented man, a highly-intelligent man and he achieved a truly remarkable amount in his life.

“He was outstanding at his job, anybody or all of the people who worked with him in the construction industry and further afield will testify to that.

“He was an empathetic man who understood all too well the human cost when a company with 65 employees goes into administration.

“He was a very responsible and caring manager of people and that’s very evident in the reactions and the love and respect they had for him.

“It’s a tragedy what happened and we have all lost a very fine man.”

• Please leave your tributes to Mr Sugrue below.