A FATHER who struggled for years with a rare hereditary form of arthritis was found dead at his Bridport home weeks after being rejected for a new form of medication, an inquest was told.

An inquest into the death of 35-year-old Paul Wilton at County Hall in Dorchester was told that his wife Claire found the deputy supermarket manager in the bath on the afternoon of August 25.

Pathologist Dr Mark Deverell concluded that he had died due to excess of the anti-depressant drug amitriptyline.

Mrs Wilton explained that her husband suffered from psoriatic arthritis that caused him severe pain in his spine and he would often have baths to soothe the pain.

She said nine weeks before his death he had found out he was not going to be receiving a new form of drug that he had hoped would improve his condition and that had deeply upset him.

However, Mrs Wilton said his mood had improved in the week before his death and she had no concerns when she left him earlier that day.

Coroner for Dorset Sheriff Payne recorded a narrative verdict, stating: “He died from consuming an excess of prescribed medication but the question of intent remains unclear.”