A man with mental health problems who was convicted of killing his grandmother 20 years ago, may have taken his own life on her birthday, an inquest heard.

Christopher Aldridge, 39, was found with a shoelace knotted around his neck at his home in Crescent Road, Cowley, Oxford, on February 27.

A post-mortem examination carried out by consultant pathologist Dr Ian Buley, of the John Radcliffe Hospital, found the ligature around his neck had caused his death, and that he could have lain for some days before being found.

Inquiries by the policeman who found the body, Pc Christopher Hazell, showed Mr Aldridge had last been seen nine days earlier, on February 18.

His sister, Sue Tarling, from Wokingham, believes her brother may have killed himself the next day.

She said: "February 19 would have been my grandmother's birthday and, although Chris killed her, they were very close."

The inquest heard Mr Aldridge had been diagnosed with paranoid psychosis in 1983 and had made several attempts to take his own life since.

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