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A heartbroken father hanged himself after he became embroiled in a custody battle over his five-year-old daughter.

Christopher Brown, 26, was due to face court and was warned he faced jail after breaking a court order banning him from contacting the girl's mother.

He was found dead at the home he shared with his mother and stepfather in Blackpool, Lancashire on March 26 this year.

Police discovered his body in a caravan in his parents back garden.

(Image: Cavendish Press (Manchester) Ltd)

He had written a "moving" suicide note and left in his bedroom, an inquest heard.

Mr Brown, who ran his own construction business, split up with the child's mother in 2014.

He was distressed about not having access to his daughter who had moved 150 miles away to Sunderland and was prescribed anti depressants.

During the legal dispute, Mr Brown claimed he did not have proper visitation rights and had tried to get a ruling in family court.

He had also made several previous attempts on his life including on one occasion walking into the sea at the resort.

On New Year's day this year Mr Brown posted a heartbreaking message on Facebook about his daugher.

(Image: Cavendish Press (Manchester) Ltd)

He wrote: "Another year another smile, but not for me just for a while. Tears fall I can take some more heart ache and heart break to see your smile just for a while.

"I'll fight for the delight of your comforting touch, soul by soul, tear by tear, next year we will smile with out fear. I love you baby girl. Daddy misses you so much."

In February Mr Brown was detained and kept in police cells after breaching a protection and harassment order made against his ex-partner.

He had made a Face Time call and was ordered to face court on June 5.

Mr Brown's stepfather Anthony Cummings told the Blackpool hearing: "His daughter's mother took her to Sunderland and Chris had restricted visiting.

"The contact was mainly through Chris' mum but it was supervised.

(Image: Cavendish Press (Manchester) Ltd)

"He had started his own business up, but work was on and off and with it being construction and building you were always waiting for somebody else to get paid before you for paid.

"He had a few debts but not a massive amount. In winter time he would sleep in the house and then summer he would go into the caravan.

"As far as I was aware his medication got stopped in October by the GP because he had tried overdosing on his antidepressants. We thought he had been out all day but to get to the caravan you've got to go through the house, he must have been there all day."

(Image: Cavendish Press (Manchester) Ltd)

A coroner's officer report said: "Christopher Brown had previously been diagnosed with PTSD, he had attempted to commit suicide on a number of occasions in the past. He had been prescribed antidepressants. At 8am on 26th March his mother and father left the home address for work.

"At 4pm the same day Christopher's mother went into his bedroom to open the window, he wasn't in the room then. She says at 10 o'clock she went back into the bedroom to close the window when she discovered a note.

"They then went into the back garden, there was the mobile caravan where he kept his tools but were unable to get access due to the door being barricaded from the inside. Entry was forced and Mr Brown was found hanged.

"The family stated he had been diagnosed with PTSD and had been waiting for an appointment to see the mental health team since October. When he was admitted to hospital having cut his wrists and taken an overdose. But since October he appeared to be coping, going through the family courts to see his daughter. He had no problems with alcohol or drugs."

(Image: Cavendish Press (Manchester) Ltd)

A statement from Louise Barr a member of the mental health liaison team said: "On 8th December last year he arrived in the department by ambulance after being in the sea.

"He left A&E at 4:30 prior to being assessed by the mental health liaison team but then came back to the team at lunch time the same day. He did engage well at that time, he was well kept and there were no issues about his self-care. He had gone to his friend's house.

"Chris' mood was lowered, he did say that he had been struggling with his mental health for a number of years since 2011. He had ongoing issues in relation to access to his daughter and that had upset him."

Recording a conclusion of suicide assistant coroner Derek Baker said: "This is a very tragic case. He was a hard-working man, he had not problems with alcohol or drugs.

"I don't doubt it was hard for him to run his own business, I know that he was upset that he wasn't seeing his little girl regularly. It must have been on his mind that he had this pending magistrates' proceedings, but I accept he wasn't facing any period in custody and he could have gone through to courts to see his little girl."

After the hearing Christopher's sister, Roxan Brown, said: "The struggles of seeing his daughter really affected Chris. The mental health team said they would ring him, but his phone was on him when he went into the sea it was destroyed. Then because of the harassment orders, he was constantly getting his phone taken by the police.

"It has always been a cry for help - we would know from the messages he would send that he was going to do something."

If you need to speak to someone Samaritans are available 24/7 on 116 123 or by emailing jo@samaritans.org