TORTURED Paul Stevens drank heavily and had a history of depressive illness which culminated in him setting himself on fire in front of his own house, an inquest heard.

The High Wycombe inquest heard on Wednesday how the 45-year-old died of burns after pouring petrol on himself and wandering around the street engulfed in flames just a week after his birthday.

The incident took place on November 15 last year, just a week after he had come out of the Haleacre Unit, in Amersham, on his birthday.

Coroner's officer Geraldine Trickett read out a statement from Stephen Glisbey.

He had been driving along Wingate Avenue, in High Wycombe, when he saw Mr Stevens sitting on the pavement pouring something over himself.

He said: "Suddenly he was in flames and I immediately stopped the vehicle.

"I could see a man walking around the front garden of a house and I shouted for him to come away from the houses."

He added: "He was completely on fire, the flames were coming over his head. I shouted for him to go down and roll over, but he wouldn't."

Christine Tilbury, from Totteridge, in High Wycombe, is Mr Stevens' cousin, and represented the family who were too upset to attend.

She confirmed that Mr Stevens had suffered depression over a long period and that he drank very heavily on occasions.

She added that he had come out of the Haleacre unit on November 8, which was his birthday, and he had not been well.

The inquest heard how his mother had been trying to get a doctor to take him back into the unit because he had been drinking.

He was receiving visits from a psychiatric nurse and doctor but they had not been due to visit that day.

She added: "I think he just felt there was nowhere left for him to turn. He could not get back into Haleacre.

"It was not their fault but his mother tried to help him and she couldn't and there was no one to help him."

Richard Hulett, coroner for Buckinghamshire, gave a verdict that he had taken his own life.

He said: "It looks like in the throes of frustration, he has gone outside and set light to himself."