THE FAMILY of a 19-year-old who was found hanged have said they had no reason to believe he would take his life, an inquest heard.

The body of Alan Rees, 19, was found in the home he had been staying at with his father Stephen, in Cross Street, Basingstoke, shortly before 9.30am on June 9.

An inquest, held at Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday heard that Mr Rees had been studying at a college in Farnborough before dropping out and getting a full-time job.

His father, Stephen Rees, told the inquest: “He was very well liked by everybody he met and in fact the communication from all his friends is that they are devastated at the news and surprised by it as well.”

He said that in the days leading up to his death, Mr Rees was acting normally and had not given his parents anything to worry about.

North East Hampshire coroner Andrew Bradley recorded a verdict of suicide, telling the family: “I am sorry we have got to be here to do this.

“He has a wonderfully supportive family relationship with nothing unreal in it, in the open and very clear. There are no threats, no suggestion of suicidal idealisation, nothing that he is holding up as any kind of problem for me.”

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