by Jenni Horn

A widow spent almost a year wondering why her husband took his own life because police did not tell her about a suicide note.

Window cleaner Raymond Curtis, who suffered from depression, was found dead at a lock-up garage in Seagull Road, Strood, in March last year.

But it was not until an inquest into his death 10 months later that his wife discovered officers had picked up a hand-written letter from the bonnet of his car.

Heather Curtis was giving evidence at the hearing when coroner Roger Sykes questioned her about the note. She replied: "Note? I knew of no note."

She added: "We have always wondered what triggered him to do it, if he had just had a customer say no that day."

Mrs Curtis sobbed as she read the note outside the inquest court before the hearing continued.

The coroner, who recorded a verdict of suicide, apologised to Mrs Curtis and said the police officer who dealt with the case would be spoken to.

The inquest heard how Mr Curtis, 58, of Darnley Road, Strood, had been diagnosed as clinically depressed three years before he died.

He had been unable to work for a short time when he broke his foot and Mrs Curtis said it led him on a downward spiral as he worried about the future.

Mrs Curtis went looking for her husband when he did not come home from work on March 2 last year and found him hanging in the garage.

They had three children, Jemimah, 32, Damian, 30, and Barclay, 28, and a one-year-old grandson.

Mrs Curtis paid tribute to her husband of 32 years: "We miss him madly. He was a very sensitive, caring person."

After the inquest, DCI Andy Pritchard said: "Our officers spoke to Mrs Curtis straight after the incident and spent around 45 minutes with her talking over the possible circumstances of her husband's death, including some details that had been left in the note.

"This was a very emotional time for all of those involved, however, if our officers did not directly show the note to Mrs Curtis then we do apologise for any distress that was caused."