Trouble sleeping and issues with noise irritation emerged as two of the factors that led a 77-year-old Ham man to take his own life, a coroner has heard.

Trevor Morgan, of Cavendish House, Ham Close, was found dead at the bottom of his split level flat’s stairs on Wednesday, September 23, after his son became worried after not hearing from him for several days.

At an inquest into Mr Morgan’s death on Thursday, December 8, a coroner ruled the retired window cleaner had taken his own life.

Coroner Alison Thompson said: “I think he was fairly frail from a medical point of view, which is why he would have been particularly vulnerable to irritations such as the noise.

“The most significant finding is the large quantity of Zopiclone, to assist his sleeping, [found in his system].

“It seems probable he took the majority of tablets from this packet to result in the levels we found.”

Mr Morgan lived in social housing maintained by Richmond Housing Partnership (RHP) and had problems sleeping in the months leading up to his death.

Rosalind Elliott, RHP’s customer service manager, said she had known Mr Morgan for several years.

She said: “I knew him quite well on a friendly level. He liked a joke and was quite jovial. It was always nice to have a friendly face [come in the office].

“We were only open in the Ham office on Tuesdays so maybe saw him once or twice a month but noticed recently when I saw him that he had lost a lot of weight, was very tired and very gaunt, and not his usual self.”

Mr Morgan had reported noise problems from two different neighbours in recent months, one of which was deemed unacceptable noise in antisocial hours and resolved by the council. The other was found to be acceptable noise within social hours.

Ms Elliott said: “Although during day hours and entitled to play music during that time we believe the bass was very high so we asked [the neighbour] to turn the bass down and move the speakers away from the wall – [the neighbour] was quite amenable and wasn’t unreasonable.”

She added: “It’s a shame all he had to do was ask as if they did [the neighbour] responded to that.”

Mr Morgan was found in his flat by police. There were empty blister packets of sleeping pill Zopiclone, Paracetamol and brandy found in the flat, as well as a suicide note.

The note, addressed to his son Paul, read: “I leave all to my son Paul Morgan who is in Hollesley, Suffolk. Sorry son I cannot stand no more music from [a neighbouring flat].

“You know where everything is. Love dad.”