A depressed man jumped to his death from the window of his sixth-floor flat.

Andrew Urquhart, 36, suffered fatal injuries when he fell from his rented flat at Sussex Court, which overlooks Sussex County Cricket Club's ground in Eaton Road, Hove.

An inquest heard how neighbours and the police pleaded with Mr Urquhart not to jump in the seconds before he made the leap to his death.

The evening before Mr Urquhart, a chef, had called an ambulance at about 10pm complaining he was feeling anxious and depressed.

When the crew arrived he declined to go to hospital and agreed to see his GP the following day.

But at 5am on June 7 this year neighbours were woken by the sound of breaking glass and Mr Urquhart was seen standing on the window ledge of his flat.

When police arrived Sergeant Philip Jones called out to him to get back inside.

Members of the public were also shouting at him not to jump.

Detective Sergeant Nick Chambers, of Sussex Police professional standards department, said Mr Urquhart was seen to get closer to the brick window ledge while he held the window frame with both hands.

He said Sgt Jones shouted: "Don't do it please. It is not worth it."

DS Chambers said: "He got closer to the ledge. Sgt Jones shouted out 'Don't do it' again. At that point the man leapt from the building feet first."

Mr Urquhart died almost instantly from multiple injuries.

DS Chambers said an investigation found there was no other action police at the scene could have taken to prevent Mr Urquhart from jumping.

The inquest at Brighton County Court heard Mr Urquhart, an alcoholic, had received treatment for depression and had suffered from hallucinations in connection with his alcohol abuse.

Brighton and Hove Coroner Veronica Hamilton-Deeley said she could not record a verdict of suicide because she was not convinced beyond reasonable doubt that Mr Urquhart intended to kill himself.

She said he may have been suffering from hallucinations at the time.

She said: "Because of his history of hallucinations I cannot be satisfied he intended to kill himself. It was more likely he was trying to get away from whatever he was experiencing in his flat."

She recorded a narrative verdict that he died of serious injuries sustained when he jumped from his sixth-floor flat window.