AN alcoholic who had stopped drinking jumped off St Martin's Gate car park after struggling with withdrawal symptoms, an inquest heard.

Brian Stinson leaped from the fourth storey at 10.13am on Saturday, February 5.

An inquest at Worcestershire County Coroner's Court in Stourport-on-Severn yesterday heard how the divorced father-of-two from Watkins Way in Malvern had been admitted to the Royal the day before his death with abdominal pains.

Worcestershire Coroner Victor Round said the 48-year-old BT sales manager had begun to get strange ideas and believed the smoke detectors in the ward were cameras watching him.

"The doctors were called to him twice, but put this down to lack of alcohol," he added.

"They prescribed him some tablets but he refused them.

"The next day, a nurse told him he would be picked up by his partner at 10am, but he told the nurse it was a conspiracy, she wasn't a nurse and it wasn't a real hospital."

The inquest heard how Mr Stinson then discharged himself and called the police at 9.55am to tell them he was going to hand himself in at a car park in Newtown Road.

They turned up, but could not find him.

They then received a message to go to St Martin's Gate, where they found Mr Stinson alive in the shrubbery at the foot of the car park.

He managed to tell van driver Martin Harris, who saw him fall: "I've got to go, leave me alone."

Mr Stinson later died at Worcestershire Royal Hospital from multiple injuries.

His partner Fiona Henshaw said it was out of character.

Mr Round recorded a verdict that Mr Stinson took his own life.