AN ENTREPRENEUR killed himself by stepping out in front of a train after paying a fraudster £30,000 for a sea plane that never arrived.

Jeremy Wassell, 35, of Devon, was staying with his brother in Reading on his first day working as a flight instructor at Oxford Airport, when he died on July 19 last year.

He was struck by a Bristol to Paddington train travelling at 125mph at a pedestrian crossing at Grove, near Wantage.

Oxford Coroner's Court heard he was trying to set up an airline, Devon Air Sea Planes Ltd, to run tourist flights.

Mr Wassell, who lived with girlfriend Solenn Tallek in Torrington, had become depressed after he paid £32,500 for a sea plane to be delivered from the USA. The plane never arrived.

Detective Sergeant Steven Turner, of Strathclyde Fraud Squad, which is investigating the claims, told the court the case involved a fraudster who was already in prison.

He said: "There was no doubt there was substance to his complaint. It was unlikely he would see any of the money."

The squad is continuing to investigate.

Assistant deputy coroner Dr Richard Whittington concluded Mr Wassell took his own life.