A NORTHUMBERLAND restaurant owner hanged himself amid worries over the effect of the recession on his venture, an inquest heard yesterday.

Scott Thompson, 37, who co-owned the Scaramanga’s restaurant at Blyth, had been worried about how the business had been performing, with its fortunes having waned in the last two years, North Northumberland coroner Tony Brown was told.

One day in June, he sent a series of text messages to his family members telling them he could “not do it anymore,” the inquest at Alnwick council chamber heard.

Mr Thompson was later found hanging in woodland near Rothbury.

The hearing was told how Mr Thompson, who lived at Glendale Avenue in Blyth, was married to Sharon – who was a manager at the restaurant and had three children, Chloe, 18, Daniel, 14, and Brandon, nine.

Ashington-born Mr Thompson was co-founder of the restaurant, which opened in 2005, co-owner, manager, and head chef.

The restaurant initially performed “very well” but, the inquest was told, had struggled in the last one to two years due to the recession.

A statement from his wife, who he married in 2007, read to the hearing said: “Scott was a natural worrier, it was his nature. He would be concerned if there was only one or two bookings for a day. Scott’s main interest outside of his family life was the restaurant. He loved his work and very rarely switched off.”

Mrs Thompson told the inquest how in the eight weeks prior to his death, her husband had “changed” and been “more relaxed, chilled out, more affectionate.” On June 21, Mr Brown was told that Mr Thompson took the car and went out, despite knowing his wife needed it. She contacted his colleagues and became concerned when he did not get to work on time.

Mrs Thompson asked her husband’s brother-in-law Chris Hood if he had seen him, and Mr Hood had received a text message from Mr Thompson which said: ‘Wrong place, wrong time’.

She received two messages from her husband which said: ‘I love you’ and ‘I will love you forever and ever’.

Mr Thompson sent a further message to his cousin which said: ‘Please look after the family, I can not do it anymore’.

No one could contact Mr Thompson so police were called. Friends had passed him in the car so the family put a message on Facebook asking if anyone had seen the vehicle.

One friend commented that they had seen it parked at Pauperhaugh. The car was found and family members and police searched the area where they found him.

Summing up, Mr Brown said: “Scott Thompson had some concerns about his business in which he worked very hard, he did have a working overdraft but this was under control and he seemed to have no financial worries.

“He was however concerned about the recession and the effect this might have on his business.

“He seemed to have these worries out of proportion. Particularly as to what was most important in his life, which was his family.

“And although Scott left no note, he did leave a text message indicating that he was about to do something of serious concern and the actions which he took showed he had an intention to take his own life.”

The coroner recorded a verdict that Mr Thompson “killed himself while the balance of his mind was disturbed”.

He concluded: “I want to offer my sincere condolences to Scott’s parents, his wife and family on a very tragic death of a devoted father and son in these very sad circumstances.”