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A “hard-working” man who was convinced he had an illness that doctors could not diagnose took his own life, an inquest has heard.

Hywel James Evans, 36, from Adamsdown in Cardiff, had been suffering with acute abdominal pain since the beginning of 2013.

He had never missed a day of work for 12 years.

“He was extremely proud of that,” his mother Vivienne Evans told the inquest.

Cardiff Coroner’s Court heard on Monday how Mr Evans’ condition worsened when he ate food.

His mother said he became very weak as his food intake dropped “substantially”.

She told the inquest how she visited his house twice a week to help him with his shopping and cleaning.

When she visited him on October 17 last year she found him in a tent in his back garden.

Numerous letters were placed around the property warning of the high levels of carbon monoxide inside the tent and a suicide note was also found.

Mrs Evans said: “Apart from his abdominal pain he was in good health and never indicated he had suicidal thoughts to me.”

In a written statement to the court, Mr Evans’ GP Dr Andrew Dearden said scans and tests were carried out but after investigation no cause of the abdominal pain could be clearly identified.

“All of the tests were normal,” he said.

Thomas Atherton, Assistant Coroner for Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan, said Mr Evans died from carbon monoxide poisoning and recorded a conclusion that he took his own life.

Mr Evans said: “He left very comprehensive notes which give an indication of what his intentions were at the time. Ultimately his anxiety over his deceived stomach disorder led him to act on October 17.

“He wanted a diagnosis and a cure that was all he was asking for. It’s a very tragic case. Clearly things were very heavy on his mind.”

Paying tribute to her son after the inquest, Mrs Evans said: “He was a lovely boy. Everybody liked him. He was very, very popular. He is sadly missed.”