A TREASURED father who was suffering from delusional disorder hanged himself at his home.

An inquest at Burnley Magistrates Court heard how Mark Paul Taylor had become fixated by false thoughts and was adamant in trying to find evidence to prove his beliefs in the run up to his death.

Concerned by his behaviour, family and friends encouraged the 52-year-old to get help and following an appointment with his doctor, he was referred to the Lancashire Care Trust’s mental health team.

But on October 22, the former gas engineer gave his brother a letter which sparked concerns within the family.

Detective Inspector Rachel Higson, who investigated Mr Taylor’s death, said the contents of the letter were ‘difficult to follow’, but that it did demonstrate Mr Taylor was experiencing some level of fear.

She said in a statement: “Mr Taylor said in the letter that if he was found dead he would not have died from suicide – he said he was not feeling suicidal.”

Despite contents of the letter, police found both doors at the home had been barricaded from the inside and there were no signs of forced entry.

DI Higson also said that officers found notes scrawled on the walls of his home. She confirmed there was no evidence of assault or trauma.

The inquest heard how Mr Taylor, of Riley Street, Padiham, began having issues with his mental health in 2016 but that his condition considerably worsened in the months before his death.

His daughter Rachel, who attended the inquest, added that her father had started to become increasingly isolated at the start of 2018.

She said: “He became very paranoid about what other people were doing.”

At the start of October he received a visit from the trust's crisis team and he got an appointment with psychiatrist Dr Gulamreza Arbab-Tafti.

He said: “He was having fixed and obscure thoughts. We assessed him and found he would benefit from hospitalisation.

“But he was adamant he was not suffering from a mental health disorder. He said that he had only come to our appointment to prove a point to his daughter.

“He wanted to be discharged from our care and he told us he wouldn’t come back.

“He had no history of harming himself or others and he his appearance and behaviour was normal."

The inquest heard that Dr Arbab-Tafti did not deem Mr Taylor in need for either admission or sectioning as he did not pose a risk to himself or others.

Recording a conclusion of suicide by hanging, coroner James Newman said: “He became unable to control his thoughts, they kept popping up in his head. He had delusional beliefs that things had happened.

“These issues became much more difficult for him to manage between 2016 and 2017and his family became increasingly concerned, with his GP making a referral to the mental health team. But he continued to make out in these appointments that there was nothing wrong with him.

“Evidence given by doctors show that while he was unwell, he did not possess a risk to himself or others.

“We do know that on October 22, he passed an envelope to his brother and that led to his daughter having concerns.

“It was at this point a family friend went over to Mr Taylor’s house and the police were called.”

Tributes paid to Mr Taylor following his death described him as a ‘treasured’ and ‘much-loved’ father, grandfather, son, brother and friend.