AN accountant, depressed about not having a job, committed suicide by putting a shotgun to his head and pulling the trigger.

An inquest on Wednesday heard how David Coppock, 48, of Clare Road, Prestwood, had been made redundant in September last year.

He was looking for permanent work when he took a phone call on the morning of March 9, which informed him that a potential job had gone to somebody else.

A little later he drove his car to Hangings Lane, Prestwood, where he took his own life, the High Wycombe inquest heard.

Mr Coppock was found by Diane Beagley who had been out walking her Alsatian puppy at around 12.15pm.

She said: "I saw a dark green car parked in a gateway on my left. As I got closer, I could see a person slumped in the driving seat."

Consultant pathologist Yoon Chia told the inquest that Mr Coppock had died of a massive injury, caused by a shotgun wound to the head.

Tests revealed Mr Coppock had been drinking.

Mr Coppock's wife, Angela, 46, said her husband had been depressed.

Coroner Richard Hulett said: "The phone call for him was probably a final straw."

Mr Hulett recorded a verdict that Mr Coppock took his own life.