AMATEUR photographer Michael Curtis gassed himself just hours after child porn police raided his home, even though there was no evidence against him.

His widow launched a bitter attack on the police after hearing at an inquest how detectives who seized his computers found nothing illegal.

Mr Curtis’s home in Banbury was raided and three laptop computers were seized by officers after intelligence led them to his address after he stumbled upon one indecent picture and viewed it for a matter of seconds.

The inquest into the grandfather-of-two’s death heard the 50-year-old photographer committed suicide by gassing himself with fumes from his car just hours after police had executed a warrant at his home.

Coroner Nicholas Gardiner was told Thames Valley Police would not have brought any charges against Mr Curtis after finding no evidence on his laptops.

The investigation on July 28 was led by Interpol intelligence from Luxembourg after Mr Curtis innocently viewed the picture on March 31, 2009.

After the hearing on Friday, Mrs Curtis said that it was the police action which killed her husband.

Mrs Curtis told the inquest in Oxford: “It doesn’t matter what you write on the death certificate, I know you’re going to write down he took his own life but he didn’t.

“His life was taken that morning when those police officers arrived at the house.”

The inquest was told that four officers turned up to Mr Curtis’s house in Woodfield, Banbury, with a warrant under the Child Exploitation and Welfare Protection Act to seize his computers.

Det Sgt Howard Berry told the coroner: “There was no evidence but there was intelligence.

“Police in Luxembourg traced access to the website to the address.

“A picture had been viewed which was of an illegal nature.

“Intelligence came to police through international channels. Then there was a decision to investigate further and the warrant was issued. It would have been the start of a process to ascertain whether there was any illegal activity.

“Quite often it transpires there is no offence.”

Det Sgt Berry said the force’s high-tech unit examined the computers and found no evidence. He said no action would have been taken against Mr Curtis.

Mrs Curtis, together with sons Simon and Paul and daughter Jennifer, said after the inquest: “The police effectively took Mike’s life. They may as well have shot him.”

Pathologist Dr Ben Phillips said he had died of suffocation due to a lack of oxygen.

Coroner Nicholas Gardiner recorded a verdict that he took his own life.