A ‘well-known and respected’ man killed himself with a toxic mix of painkillers in a ‘tranquil’ car park.

Retired agricultural worker Jeremy Hayden died in the afternoon of March 25, the day after the country was put into lockdown.

He was found by a man who knew him and recognised his Volvo parked in White Horse Hill car park in Uffington.

Two cyclists, who were riding past at the time, helped move 80-year-old Mr Hayden from the car to the floor to begin CPR while one of them dialled 999.

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Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) who were nearby arrived within minutes and found blister packs and a suspected suicide note written by him in the glove compartment.

More police officers and paramedics arrived and he was pronounced dead at 3.10pm.

At his inquest on Tuesday at Oxford Coroners Court a statement from the police said there were no signs of suspicious circumstances or third party involvement and ‘every indication’ he had taken his own life with an overdose.

The head coroner for the county Darren Salter said: “He was well-known and respected in the community so I am sure this was a shock to everyone.”

He explained: “He chose a tranquil setting to cause minimal upset to his family.

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“He stated that he no longer wanted to be a burden and wanted to remember the good times.

“It is a very sad case.”

Another statement from his daughter Lisa Sullivan said he had lived all his life in Oxfordshire and had become a ‘well respected’ man in the community.

He didn’t have any financial worries and owned his own house – that he lived in with his wife until she died eight years ago.

He had also stopped working only six weeks before his death, despite being 80-years-old.

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He had said things to his two daughters like ‘he didn’t want to be here anymore’ to which one of them had said back ‘you wouldn’t do anything stupid’.

At his inquest, which was conducted under Rule 23 – that means that only relevant evidence would be read out instead of live witnesses – more statements from the pathologist revealed how he died.

Toxicology reports showed excessive use of pain killers, enough to kill.

His official cause of death was put down to codeine toxicity, hypertensive heart disease, obesity and bronchopneumonia.

Mr Salter gave the conclusion of suicide.

If you've been affected by any of the issues in this article and need support or you are struggling, please contact the Samaritans on 116123.