Shopkeeper with alcohol problem hanged himself

A MAN who battled alcoholism was found hanging by his wife a day after he had texted his son he has a 'solution' to the problem.

Tomasz Wencki (48) was found hanging by his wife at their shop on Chamber Road, Oldham, in the morning of January 6, 2017.

An inquest, held at Heywood Phoenix Centre yesterday, heard how Mr Wencki had battled with alcohol dependency from a young age.

Waiting

He was found at the shop by his wife, Bozena Wencki, at around 8am after she received a call from a man due to deliver goods to the shop who said it was closed.

She cut him down and attempted to resuscitate him while waiting for paramedics to arrive, but he had already died, the court heard.

Born in Poland, Mr Wencki's two brothers and both parents died before him and Mrs Wencki remembers him drinking heavily from the age of 17.

They moved to London in 2006 before relocating to Bury and opening the shop on Chamber Road in 2015.

Due to his excessive drinking the marriage became strained, with Mr Wencki becoming aggressive when drinking and saying he would hang himself when Mrs Wencki threatened to leave, the court heard.

On the day before he was found, following an argument with Mrs Wencki and also arguing with his son Pawel Wencki, he texted Pawel saying that he had found a 'solution' to the problem.

Mrs Wencki told the court that he would not have taken his own life and that it was supposed to be a threat.

"He was waiting for me." She told the court.

A statement from Mr Wencki's GP said that he had shown no signs of depression and no signs of self harm.

However, Coroner Lisa Hashmi said she believed he had intended to take his own life.

She said: "I cannot ignore the strength and knot of the mechanism that the deceased created or the fact that he had previously threatened to do this.

Outcome

"I believe he fully appreciated the consequences and that furthermore there could have been only one sad outcome to the circumstances, that being his death.

"He created a ligature and the circumstances that he was found lead me to conclude to the required legal standard that the deceased committed suicide.

"What I can't explain is why and that is often the case."