A 20-YEAR-OLD Nelson man decapitated by a train had talked about ending his life on the railway tracks on several occasions, a jury inquest heard.

The body of electrician Dale Turton, of Hibson Road, was discovered near Nelson Station on April 4 by a train driver. His head was found a short time later near the level crossing in Brierfield.

Home office pathologist, Dr John Rutherford, said the cause of death was decapitation and said that he would have died within seconds.

A jury of five men and five women returned a verdict that Dale had taken his own life while he was emotionally disturbed.

Dale, who worked at Hayes Sound and Lighting of Cunliffe Drive, Whitebirk, Blackburn, was described as 'confused' by members of his family and friends and the jury heard how he had taken an overdose before.

His body was found by First North Western driver, Keith Torley, at 9.15am as he was driving the 8.15am train from Preston to Colne.

He said: "We approached the station at approximately 15mph and on the left I noticed an object a further 20 to 30 yards ahead. As I got closer I thought it was a body and as we passed it I realised it was a headless body."

The body was at the end of the platform with the chest facing upwards with a mobile phone close by.

After reporting it the driver continued his journey back towards Preston and as the train passed through Brierfield Mr Torley spotted Dale's head close to the track. PC Keith Holmes, of the British Transport Police, said the death was originally treated as suspicious because the body had no obvious signs of impact, trauma or debris and there was no blood at the scene.

The train driver on the 10.18pm train from Blackpool to Colne -- which it is believed hit Dale on its return journey from Colne -- saw no-one at the station and heard nothing.

Family members told the jury that Dale had suffered mood swings and was confused over his feelings for his girlfriend Carolyn Hales and former girlfriend Donna Smith.

He split up with Donna last August after four years and had talked to her of killing himself and had taken an overdose -- usually on the occasions they had split up. On the day of his death he had sent a friend to give Donna a letter, a gold necklace and a tape and asked her to ring him before 10.30pm to discuss the possibility of getting back together.

Donna, of Brunswick Street, rang at 12.15am but got through to Dale's voicemail. The following day she found messages from Dale which said he could not face life without her being his girlfriend.

She said: "He was always saying things like he wanted to kill himself. He once tried to electrocute himself and he was always talking about putting his head on the train track. He was up and down all the time."

He had also rung Carolyn and his mother, Michelle Mancarrow, in the minutes before his death to tell them he loved them.

PC Holmes said: "All the evidence suggests that he targeted that train as the one he had decided would end his life."