'Depressed' accountant in chloroform suicide

Stuart Baldwin, 24, killed himself by placing a piece of material soaked in the chemical under his nose after becoming depressed at work.

Mr Baldwin, a trainee chartered accountant from from Gloucester, had fallen out with colleagues after they made jibes about him not making coffee in the office, the court was told.

He left Online Packaging in Gloucester following the row on September 20 last year, sending colleagues a bitter e-mail shortly after. Gloucester Coroner's Court heard that Mr Baldwin, who suffered from depression, resigned the next month and was found dead at his home on December 4 that year.

One of Mr Baldwin's former colleagues, Diane Watts, told the court that he had lost his temper when she had joked about his reluctance to make cups of coffee.

She said he became angry after the comment and stormed out of the building, never to return. She added: "Later that day he sent an e-mail which was basically just a diatribe of insults."

Mr Baldwin is believed to have bought the chloroform - an anaesthetic which was first used medicinally in the 19th century - via the internet.

The court heard he placed a strip of material soaked in the substance under his nose, before putting a plastic bag over his head to ensure none of the chemical vapours could escape. Pathologist Dr John McCarthy said: "Just a casual look on the internet shows that it is possible to find all the methodology to do this very easily."

A post-mortem examination revealed that Mr Baldwin died as a result of asphyxia with chloroform intoxication.

Recording a verdict of suicide, Gloucestershire Coroner Alan Crickmore said: "My impression of Stuart is of a hard-working, intelligent and pleasant young man who didn't fit in at work quite as he would have liked and tried to do his best."