A March man found hanged in the garden of his parents’ home probably took his own life “on the spur of the moment”.

That was the conclusion of Steven Bradshaw’s mother, Sue Bradshaw, when she gave evidence at an inquest into his death.

However, she said that a number of people he knew had died during the year.

“About seven 30-somethings died from March, that’s not right, not all were suicides but some were,” she said.

The hearing at South Fens Business Park in Chatteris heard Mr Bradshaw, 35, was last seen by his parents on the morning of October 28, but they did not report him missing for two days, because he often stayed out overnight.

He would regularly go out and not return home for a night and would often miss evening meals. On the night he was reported missing Mr Bradshaw was due to cook tea for his mum and dad, but he failed to show. He did not answer their calls or return text messages.

“It was not unusual for him to stay out that’s why we weren’t concerned the first night, but when he didn’t come home for the meal the second night we began to get worried, we gave him a little bit longer before we started ringing round the local hospitals with negative results and that’s when we contacted the police, “ said Mrs Bradshaw.

Police officer John Nixon, who attended the Bradshaws’ home in Grounds Avenue, discovered Mr Bradshaw’s body hanging from a tree in the back garden at around 11.40pm after carrying out a torchlight search of the garden and outbuildings. Neither of his parents had been in the garden for several days.

Mrs Bradshaw told coroner William Morris she had no idea why her son would take his own life. A medical report from his GP said he had not been seen by a doctor for nearly seven years and the only treatment he had in that time was for a work injury to his hand.

There was no note found and Mrs Bradshaw said he had no history of self-harming or attempted suicides.

“There must have been a last straw that made him take this action, but if there was we don’t really know what it was. We haven’t found anything to explain it,” said Mrs Bradshaw, who suggested his decision was “spur of the moment”.

Mr Morris concluded Mr Bradshaw killed himself.