A WOODFORD man who had become increasingly stressed following the death of his brother and best friend shot himself in the head at his parent's farm, a coroner's court heard last week.

Andrew Yoxall, of Blossoms Lane, placed a shotgun he had been brought for his 21st birthday under his chin and shot himself, whilst his father and wife watched on in horror last summer.

The court heard Mr Yoxall, 37, arrived home at around 7.00pm on August 15 in an extremely agitated state. He told his wife, Elaine, that he'd had an argument with his father, William Yoxall, and said he'd, "had enough."

After a brief argument with his wife, in which he through his mobile phone at her, Mr Yoxall stormed out, telling his wife to come to his parent's farm in a "few minutes", adding: "I'm going to finish it all right now," Coroner John Pollard heard.

A sobbing Mrs Yoxall said she had immediately rung his parents, William and Doreen, and had told them of her husband's threat, before getting into her car and driving after him.

On arrival she said she saw her husband standing outside his parent's farm, also in Blossoms Lane, holding a shotgun under his chin, She then saw a puff of smoke and heard a gunshot.

Mr Yoxall's father, William, told the inquest Andrew had been getting increasingly stressed over several months, and said he believed his son needed counselling following an earlier suicide bid in March, also with a shotgun.

He also told the court Andrew had repeatedly expressed an interest in leaving the family business - a pig and poultry farm - a matter they had last discussed just hours before his son's death.

Talking about the night in question, Mr Yoxall, said: "He said he was going to leave the business, but he'd been saying that for years.

"He had been very stressful for the last 18 months, and very angry. I told the nurse at the doctors I thought he needed to see a counsellor. I couldn't do anything right."

And the moment shortly after Andrew had stormed in to their house and retrieved a shotgun, locked away in the porch, he said: "He went outside the door and I was trying to get the gun off him. I said something like hit me or shoot me instead', but he backed off down the yard with the gun.

"I pleaded with him but he just pulled the trigger. He was so angry. He just flipped."

Mr Yoxall's GP, Dr Wilks who is based at Bramhall Health Centre, confirmed in a written statement read out in court, that Mr Yoxall had not been taking any medication at the time of his death. But toxicology reports showed he had been drinking heavily, consuming more than three times the legal drink drive limit in the hours before his death.

Coroner John Pollard said: "I think it is right to conclude that he took his own life."