A photographer took his own life after expressing concerns for his business’s finances.
Graham Alder, 53, was found dead in the garage of his home in Kestrel Crescent, Witney, by his wife.
In a statement read to his inquest, Mr Alder’s wife Jemima said in the week before his death he had started ‘obsessing himself with bookkeeping’. There was ‘no foundation’ for his concerns about his photography company, which was ‘doing well’.
On May 21, he returned from a trip to see a client in Oxford at around 2pm to 2.30pm. The photographer, who had previously suffered from anxiety, told his wife that ‘everything was getting very serious again’ and the business was ‘in trouble’.
“It upset me he was taking about it again and was making it seem more serious than it was,” she said.
She suggested he go for a walk and, when she heard the door, believed he had followed her advice.
She went into the garage at around 7.30pm to get a pizza from the freezer. She found her husband’s body.
A post-mortem ruled the cause of death as hanging. A note was found a few days after Mr Alder’s death. It contained an apology and indicated he had intended to take his own life, the inquest heard.
Senior coroner Darren Salter recorded a conclusion of suicide.
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This story was written by Tom Seaward. He joined the team in 2021 as Oxfordshire's court and crime reporter.
To get in touch with him email: Tom.Seaward@newsquest.co.uk
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