A loving young husband killed himself after his wife told him she wanted a divorce, an inquest heard.

Christopher Mortimer, 23, was found hanging at his home in Western Avenue, Epping, on November 3 last year.

Coroner Eleanor McGann said during an inquest into Mr Mortimer’s death at New Bridge House in Chelmsford this morning that his wife’s request for a divorce had come “out of the blue.”

She said: “He was in love and out of the blue, his wife wanted a divorce.

“She told him in mid-October that she wanted a divorce and I can see here a series of text messages that are to his wife.”

She read out some of the messages, which showed Mr McGann pleading with his wife to come back to their home, where she was no longer living.

She added: “He wants her to give it another try and he says ‘please come home, just try for me, at least until the end of the tenancy.’

“He says ‘I’m killing myself unless you call’ and that was at 8.26pm. She says ‘stop blackmailing me’.”

Mr Mortimer’s father, Paul Mortimer, said he had become worried about his son and he and his wife had called at the house on November 3 and found him.

He added: “We found him. I saw him though the window.”

In a letter to Mrs McGann, Mr Mortimer’s family said he seemed happy in his job as a project manager for a wood recycling company and had a good relationship with his customers.

The corner recorded a verdict of suicide.