A CAR mechanic from Witney died after taking his 63rd overdose of tablets, a coroner was told.

Neil Murrant, 44, of Bourton Close, ‘heard voices’ which made him feel worthless, an inquest in Oxford heard.

Paramedics were called to his house and the father-of-six told them it was the 63rd time he had overdosed.

Mr Murrant, who had suffered from mental health problems for the last 12 years, was taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, and kept in the emergency assessment unit, but his health deteriorated overnight.

He was found unresponsive in his bed by nurses and, despite attempts to resuscitate him, he was declared dead 10 hours after being admitted.

His mother Margaret told Oxford Coroner’s Court on Tuesday that her son had struggled through life. He had been particularly upset about the death of his grandfather, Ernest Pankhurst, at 93, 10 days before his own death.

She said: “Neil just needed time to get over it. His grandfather and he were close. We tried to get him over it, it was difficult.”

Mr Murrant’s carer, Marie Elliott, who was not at his house when the pills were taken, said she had been aware of his previous overdoses. She added: “He had seemed fine on the day. I had made his dinner, which he ate and I had left at 5pm.

Oxfordshire Coroner Nicholas Gardiner, recording an open verdict, said that Mr Murrant suffered from an emotional unstable personality disorder.

He added: “There is nothing to suggest he didn’t take an overdose – but did he do this with the intention of taking his own life?

“I have to record an open verdict, as there is insufficient evidence to record any other verdict.”