DAD Ashley Lugsden hanged himself in a garden shed after texting his ex-girlfriend's mother to say he was going to kill himself.

The 20-year-old was found dead by his mother Janice at the family home in Batchelors Way, Chesham, on the evening of March 12.

Mrs Lugsden told a High Wycombe inquest last Thursday that her son had been living with his girlfriend Nina in Brockhurst Road, Chesham, along with their six-month-old son Reid and Nina's older son Dillon, three, who Ashley treated as his own.

Mrs Lugsden explained that her son came to visit her at the family home on March 1 and slept on the couch after telling her that he had split up with Nina.

Mr Lugsden also visited his mother during lunchtimes on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of the following week to borrow some money but failed to meet up with her again.

During a telephone conversation with Nina's aunt and mother, Mrs Lugsden found out that her son had called round to the house he had shared with Nina to pick up his CD player which he smashed up in front of her.

Mrs Lugsden was also told that he had sent a text message to Nina's mother on his mobile phone saying that he was going to kill himself and that she would have to explain it to the kids, the inquest heard.

Later that evening Mrs Lugsden found her son's body in the garden shed at the family home in Batchelors Way.

She said: "I heard Ashley's phone ringing somewhere in the back garden. I opened the shed door and saw him. He was upright. I knew straight away that he was hanging."

Dr Yoon Chia, a consultant pathologist for South Bucks NHS Trust, said Mr Lugsden had died from injuries consistent with asphyxia from hanging. She said there were no positive traces of alcohol in his body at the time of death.

Mrs Lugsden confirmed to the inquest that Mr Lugsden had attempted suicide once before last August when he took an overdose and ended up in hospital.

Coroner Richard Hulett said the text message seemed to be "particularly significant" and added: "It has the same weight as a note or letter.

"It looks as if he carried out that threat within minutes afterwards. It was no sort of accident."

Mr Hulett recorded a verdict that Mr Lugsden had taken his own life.