TWO friends were suspected by police of helping a terminally ill 85-year-old man commit suicide, an inquest heard.

The discovery of Kenneth Henry Jones’ body at his Aberystwyth home sparked a major police investigation after the fingerprints of his close friends Jeremy Lovekin and Gill Whitehead were found on equipment he used to take his life, the hearing was told.

But the inquest heard that no charges of assisting a suicide were brought against Mr Lovekin and Ms Whitehead.

Coroner Peter Brunton said he was satisfied that Mr Jones had taken his own life after hearing that he had talked of suicide for over eight years after a lengthy battle with prostate cancer.

He said that, while no charges were brought, the police had to investigate the possibility that his suicide had been assisted.

Recording a verdict of suicide, Mr Brunton said: “I am left in no doubt that Mr Jones intended to bring about his own end.

He said to Mr Lovekin and Ms Whitehead: “I’m sorry you were subjected to a very rigorous investigation.

“I think it was inevitable when the police came across this scene. It was something they had to do.”

In 2015, Mr Jones had learnt that the cancer was terminal, but Mr Lovekin said Mr Jones had been talking of taking his own life for many years and had even acquired equipment to help do so.

Mr Jones was found in his study on Sunday, 2 August, after Mr Lovekin, Ms Whitehead and Mr Jones’s wife, Noragh, returned after a trip out.

He was pronounced dead at the scene and DC Emyr Thomas, of Aberystwyth CID, said suicide notes were found signed by Mr Jones in the study.

But an investigation was launched after Mr Lovekin and Ms Whitehead’s fingerprints were found on equipment in the study.

DC Thomas said following the investigation, no charges were brought.

They told Mr Brunton that they were aware that Mr Jones had carried out a “test run” to check whether the equipment would work, but said they had no “concrete” knowledge that Mr Jones was planning to take his own life that day.

In a statement, Mrs Jones said her husband had repeatedly said he wanted to take his own life and had insisted that he wanted to do it while he was capable of doing it himself and not involving anybody else.

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