A YOUNG man was found hanging in his bedsit within days of being discharged from psychiatric care, an inquest heard.

Gavin Prior, from Shoreham, was a diagnosed schizophrenic and had a history of mental health issues and financial concerns.

The 34-year-old lived in College Place, Brighton, and had hopes of becoming a social worker.

But he was found hanging in his 8ft by 8ft bedsit on May 28 last year.

His social workers tried to contact him that morning but received no response, which was unusual.

They called the police and both ambulance and fire services were sent to the flat.

Firefighters knocked down the door and found Mr Prior’s body.

The ambulance crew said he had been dead for at least 24 hours.

Pathologist Dr Mark Howard examined Mr Prior’s body and found a “normal level” of his medication in his system.

He said the provisional cause of death was hanging.

Mr Prior had a criminal conviction for stalking a woman at Sheffield University where he was studying English literature. He did not know the woman.

He was arrested in Shrewsbury in December 2017 for travelling to the woman’s parents’ house.

Brighton and Hove Coroner Veronica Hamilton-Deeley said: “It seems he wanted to take life back into his hands and in his control. He may have realised that the jobs he wanted were out of his control and not possible to grasp easily because of his history.”

After his arrest, Mr Prior’s father Richard, a former police officer, pushed for him to receive a mental health assessment before imprisonment.

He told the inquest at Woodvale Crematorium in Brighton yesterday that he knew his son was not well after finding post-it notes with names and hearts on the wall of his bedroom. He said he had been showing signs of “odd and abusive behaviour”.

After his assessment, Mr Prior was sent to Mill View psychiatric hospital in Hove on January 17 last year.

He was diagnosed with schizophrenia and referred to Cygnet Hospital in Stevenage due to a lack of beds at Mill View. His father said Mr Prior was a lot more “animated and chatty” when he was at Cygnet.

On May 16 there were plans made to increase his medication and for him to be under general observation, the inquest heard. But within days of being discharged, Mr Prior was found dead.

His father said: “He was extremely bright and very clever. He wanted a relationship, a normal job and a house. He wanted what most people want and I think he realised that this was just not going to happen any time soon.

“I have had reactive depression myself and although I am lucky in the sense that that means it goes away, I tried to tell Gavin that things can get better.”

Ms Hamilton Deeley said: “He was on the autistic spectrum it seems, which may be relevant because those with autism are highly intelligent and bright enough to know about things that people of average intelligence don’t cotton on to. That can be a burden as much as a blessing.”

The inquest, expected to last three days, resumes today.