A RETIRED teacher committed suicide after a police paedophile unit turned up at his house in Bicester with a search warrant, an inquest found.

Michael Lafford, 67, took an overdose of pills after Thames Valley Police’s Paedophile Online Investigation Unit (Polit) attempted to search his house in November last year.

Detective Sergeant Paula Morgan, who was in charge of the unit, said they were working on intelligence that the former Ofsted school inspector possessed indecent images of children.

An internal police investigation found that he had planned to take his own life for a long time and the presence of the police at his house prompted him to take the fatal overdose.

An inquest at Oxford Coroner’s Court yesterday heard that as officers knocked on his front door and identified themselves, other officers at the rear of the property saw Mr Lafford swallowing pills.

Det Con John Ablett, who was one of the officers at the scene, told the inquest: “I saw him put a small pot up to his mouth and he tipped his head back.

“I shouted that I had seen him take something and I knew we had to get into the property as soon as possible.”

Officers sat Mr Lafford down in his living room and called for an ambulance, but his condition began to deteriorate before paramedics arrived at 7.20am.

Mr Lafford was taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, where he was confirmed dead at 8.50am.

Det Sgt Morgan told the inquest at Old County Hall, New Road, that Mr Lafford was not arrested as he needed medical treatment and he was not questioned about any offences.

She said: “We seized a mobile phone and a computer but not anything else. The house was sparse, it looked it had been cleared out.”

She added that initial searches of the phone and computer failed to find any incriminating evidence. A thorough search had not been carried out.

The case was brought to the attention of the Independent Police Complaints Commission, because the circumstances involved police officers. The IPCC referred it to Thames Valley Police’s professional standards department.

Investigating officer Michael West told the inquest: “There were no suspicious circumstances surrounding his death.

“He had planned to take his own life for a long time and the attendance of police was what motivated him to take the next step.”

The inquest jury returned a verdict of suicide.