A man who died from carbon monoxide poisoning, intended to take his own life says South Devon assistant coroner, Andrew Cox.

Rodney William Seager, 58, from Dartmouth, died on Wednesday, September 13, at Collaton Camp car park in Kingswear. He was found dead in a green Volkswagen Golf by Mr Fellows who had been on a fishing trip in the area.

Detective Sergeant Andrew Turner, who attended the scene, explained how Mr Fellows had found Mr Seager in the vehicle with a hosepipe leading from the exhaust and in through a window.

Mr Fellows attempted to break the window and then used his fishing knife to cut open the softop roof of the car, allowing him to reach in and turn off the engine. He opened the car doors, but said the man showed “no sign of life”. He then called the police.

DS Turner confirmed that the deceased showed no signs of life who he identified as Mr Seager after finding his passport alongside him in the car.

DS Turner said he found a box of files, letters and personal possessions in the car with Mr Seager. Among them, there was a letter addressed to the police which DS Turner characterised as a “suicide note”.

He added he had received a statement from a woman who had been in a relationship with Mr Seager for a number of years. “She had admitted that the relationship, in her opinion, had run into difficulties and she found him controlling at times.”

DS Turner said it was clear she “had been frightened of him”, as had her daughter. Prior to his death, she had left Mr Seager and gone to a women’s refuge.

Among items found at his home, a letter was found which said she was leaving him.

Two work colleagues told the inquest they had not seen this side to Mr Seager’s character before. A colleague described Mr Seager’s shock that his ‘wife’ had left him on the Thursday before his death, remembering him saying the action was completely out of the blue.

Dr Nicholas Riley performed a post mortem and reported nothing of any note from the internal examination.

In addition of this, some urine and blood samples were sent off to Dr Smith to perform a toxicology report which provided evidence of high levels of carbon monoxide in Mr Seager’s blood. Dr Smith said this was evidence of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Dr Bromige, who had been Mr Seager’s GP in 2012 and 2013, said Mr Seager had then suffered with work-related stress.

South Devon assistant coroner Andrew Cox said Mr Seager “intended to take his own life.”