Father, 56, leapt to his death from the Humber Bridge after being falsely accused of abusing child

Graham Smith, 56, became depressed and killed himself in June this year

Wrongly accused of abusing a girl 20 years ago before police cleared him

After two suicide attempts him jumped from the Humber Bridge in Hull

Coroner recorded a verdict of suicide at his inquest today



Tragedy: Graham Smith was driven to suicide after he was falsely accused of child abuse, his inquest heard

A distraught father leapt to his death after he was falsely accused of child abuse, an inquest heard today.



Graham Smith, 56, became depressed in November last year after he was accused of sexually assaulting a young girl more than 20 years ago.



Even after a police investigation cleared him of any wrongdoing, Mr Smith, who had already tried to kill himself twice after the accusations were made, never recovered mentally from the trauma.



He was driven to suicide in June this year, jumping from the Humber Bridge in Hull - and it was five days before his body was found, washed up on the sandbanks on the river.



An inquest at Hull Coroner's Court heard how Graham wrote a suicide note, before cycling to the Humber Bridge from the city centre home he shared with his teenage daughter.



His brother Michael, who last saw Graham on the Sunday before his death at a family barbecue celebrating Father's Day, said: 'After the allegations, he became a hermit. He wouldn't go out, he thought people were looking at him and

pointing.



'He said he was scared of the daylight, that he liked it when it was night and no one could see him.



'We didn't expect him to turn up, because he had, we thought he might have turned a corner, but now I think he came to say bye when the whole family was together.'



Graham, of Hull, East Yorkshire, had twice gone to the accident and emergency department of Hull Royal Infirmary, saying he had suicidal thoughts and was in need of help.



On both occasions, he was seen by the mental health team but his reluctance to give details made him difficult to assess. It was decided that he should contact his GP to discuss receiving treatment for depression.



The second time he went to the hospital, he asked to be sectioned. However, when a social worker later visited his home, Graham said he was much calmer and no further action was taken.



Upset: Mr Smith had wrote a suicide note before cycling from the home he shared with his daughter to the Humber Bridge (pictured) and killed himself

His former girlfriend, and the mother of his child, Marie Burgess, said he had tried to deal with his depression.



She said: 'He did try to get back into the swing of things but it would only last a day or two and then he would go downhill again.'



His daughter, Kirsty, told the court how his mental state had deteriorated.



She said: 'I remember Christmas was not like it usually was. He would normally buy all the Christmas presents early, but he left it right until the last minute. All his motivation was gone.'



The coroner, Dr Paul Marks, recorded the cause of death as severe chest injuries caused by the fall from the bridge into the water.



As he had been in the water for so long, Graham had to be identified using his dental records.



Dr Marks reached a conclusion of suicide and said: 'It is particularly tragic that a grave and unfounded accusation of sexual misconduct was brought against him.



'His conduct remains unblemished but, sadly, despite being exonerated, his mood failed to improve and he took his own life.'