A PENSIONER ended his life by jumping from the top of Hengistbury Head and falling around 200ft on to the beach below, an inquest heard.
Leonard Watson, 87, was seen stepping back and forth on the top of the cliff, near the Coastguard station, and looking around before he fell to his death on November 5 last year.
Police officer Richard Thorne saw him fall and rushed to his aid, performing CPR and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation until an ambulance arrived.
But Mr Watson, of Barton-on-Sea, had suffered severe internal injuries and could not be saved. Coroner Sheriff Payne recorded a verdict of suicide.
Mr Watson’s daughter Diane Watson-Hall, who lives near Fordingbridge, said her father’s mood deteriorated after he was made redundant many years ago.
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