Inquest into well known agent hears of missing rent money

An inquest into the suicide of a well known local estate agent in the West Country has heard that there had been telephone calls about missing rent money from clients. 

Nigel Green, 61, was found dead at his company, Target Property Services, on July 7 last year; an inquest has now heard that he hanged himself. 

Torbay and South Devon coroner Ian Arrow recorded a self-inflicted death on Green who arrived as normal at his office in Paignton on the day of his death a year ago. 

A local newspaper report on the inquest says there had been no suggestion he was suffering from stress and a statement from his GP said he had no history of serious medical problems - although the coroner heard that Green tried to take his own life in 2009 when his last business went into receivership. However, the inquest also heard that an employee of Target had received some telephone calls expressing concern over missing rent money.

A year ago police were called to Target Property Services by a negotiator who worked at the company but who could not gain access to the office - it had been locked from the inside.

Green’s wife broke a window, with the police in attendance, and found her husband inside. The ambulance was called and CPR attempted but Green was pronounced dead at the scene.

His son Steven said his father was somebody who did not show his emotions and bottled things up rather than talk about them.

The local press report of the inquest is here.