A CWMIFOR man battled desperately to save the life of his friend found hanging in the grounds of his garden, a Llandeilo inquest heard.

But the man’s attempts to revive dental surgeon William Byron Jones, 53, proved in vain, Carmarthenshire coroner Mr John Owen was told.

Pc Howie Davies described in a statement how he had driven to the Old Vicarage in Cwmivor on the morning of June 4 having received a report that a male person had been found hanging.

On arrival, the policeman found a man he later identified as Kevin Oram attempting CPR on a man lying on the grass.

Mr Oram explained that he was a friend of Mr Jones who lived at that address.

Pc Davies said he noticed a section of rope hanging from a nearby tree and an aluminium ladder nearby. Paramedics who arrived shortly afterwards pronounced life extinct.

When the officer went into the house to convey his sympathy to the dead man’s wife, Julie Elizabeth Jones, she told him she had found a note in her husband’s writing when she entered the kitchen that morning.

Mr Owen said a post mortem confirmed the cause of death was hanging. On May 24, Mr Jones had been prescribed anti-depressants after visiting his doctor and complaining of "low mood and feeling down".

Summing up, Mr Owen said: "Having heard the evidence of the investigation carried out, my finding is that the deceased killed himself while suffering from a depressive illness."