A STUDENT who became depressed after losing his place at college and failing to cope with restaurant work killed himself, an inquest decided.

Blackburn Coroner Andre Rebello said 23-year-old Alastair Miles Barry, of Livesey Branch Road, Blackburn, was a very sensitive, loving and caring young man.

His body was found in his car at Tockholes picnic site on September 27. A hosepipe from the exhaust had been placed into the car and death was due to carbon monoxide poisoning.

Jeffrey Barry told the Coroner that his son attended Northampton Polytechnic for a year on an environmental studies degree course but he failed to pass an examination and was asked to leave.

He was very disappointed at not being allowed to stay on for a second year. He returned home, did some part-time work, became very interested in cooking and started work in a restaurant kitchen in London in July 1993.

But he found the kitchen work very traumatic.

It was too much for him and he returned home upset by the end of August.

He got a job as a builder's labourer for several months and was then offered a place at a Preston college on an environmental studies degree course.

Mr Barry said his son accompanied him and his wife on a fortnight's family holiday to Turkey in early September this year.

He started at the college on September 25 but cancelled this on September 26 and did not inform his parents.

He had talked about being depressed about some of the disappointments he had suffered.

The dead man's friend Damien Murphy told the inquest in a statement that Alastair had been very upset at being forced to leave Northampton Polytechnic. He felt he had let down his parents and became fed up and depressed and mentioned suicide.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.