A YOUNG man who killed himself after driving a car into water had told friends he was “off to pay his respects to the river Avon”, an inquest heard.

Anthony Taylor, aged 22, was found dead by police in the Avon near Boat Lane, Evesham on Sunday, November 24, having been missing for three days. The detective in charge of the search said that Mr Taylor had a history of depression.

Detective Inspector Dean Jones, of West Mercia Police, said: “He had been to a friend’s house in Patterdale Drive, Warndon, Worcester. He left at 9pm (on Wednesday 20) and said words along the lines of ‘he was off to pay his respects to the river Avon’. He was then in contact with friends during the night. The content of these texts indicated he was going to take his own life.”

Mr Taylor was living in Lyttleton Avenue, Bromsgrove, at the time of his death. Senior Coroner for Worcestershire, Geraint Williams, read a pathologist’s report giving the cause of death as drowning.

He said that Mr Taylor had killed himself.