A depressed man jumped to his death from Templars Square multi-storey car park in Cowley an inquest heard.

Simon Ashmore, 41, of Coach House Mews, Bicester, had been fighting depression and anxiety problems for years in the lead-up to his death on April 20.

Oxford Coroners' Court heard Mr Ashmore had been struggling to cope after separating from his wife, and took a paracetamol overdose last year.

Although he received psychiatric help after this, doctors said he often missed appointments and would stop taking his medication.

Mandeep Lahori, a security guard at the shopping centre, in Between Towns Road, told the inquest a woman alerted security that a man was standing on the edge of the car park roof.

He said: "We were told he was looking drunk and swaying a lot. I went up there and could see the man standing on the edge. He was definitely intoxicated and had a bottle in his hand which I presumed was alcohol.

"I radioed for help and approached the man, hoping I could talk him away from the edge."

Mr Lahori, who said he had talked three people out of jumping while working at the centre, added: "As I got nearer to him he put one foot over the edge and as I took another step towards him he sat down on the edge so that both his feet were hanging over it.

"I realised he was 100 per cent committed to jumping.

"Before I could do anything else he was hanging from the edge by his finger- tips and then he dropped. I heard a loud thud."

Mr Ashmore fell about 60ft, but survived.

Pc Sarah Baker was one of the first police officers on the scene. She said: "Mr Ashmore had landed partially in the road, partially on the pavement. He was bleeding from his head and ankles but was still breathing on his own at that time."

Police cordoned off the area while paramedics tried to resuscitate Mr Ashmore, but he died at the scene.

Coroner Nicholas Gardiner said: "There is only one conclusion to reach — Mr Ashmore took his own life by throwing himself from the top of this car park."