A man described as being “withdrawn and quiet” by family members following the break-up of a relationship was found dead two days after it ended.

An inquest into the death of 37-year-old Nick Shaunlen Alway, also known as Powell, in Truro today (August 6) found that he killed himself two days after the break-up with his former partner Lauren Webb.

She told coroner Andrew Cox she was completely shocked by what had happened: “We had parted ways two days earlier,” she said. “I never expected him to do this, it came as a complete shock and we struggled to deal with it.”

The inquest heard that police were called to Packsaddle on the outskirts of Penryn near the Treliever Roundabout on Sunday, January 21, this year at around 9.26am.

Mr Alway’s body was first spotted by a postman out on his rounds who reported it to a member of the public who reported it to the police.

One of the officers first on the scene, PC Brian Pellow, said in his statement that at first he didn’t recognise Mr Alway, but after his fellow officer found ID, he realised he had worked with him around ten to 15 years earlier at WC Rowe.

Mr Alway's mother, Kim, who had also worked at Rowes at the time, told the inquest that her son’s father had not been around when Nick was growing up but had re-established contact when he was 13. He also had two younger sisters.

She said he had always been the class clown at Penryn Primary School with him getting up to mischief and this had continued at Penryn College where he was the class joker. She said he was a huge Manchester United fan and loved watching them as much as he loved playing football. She said he also loved everything on two wheels and was aways on bikes and motorbikes and loved tinkering with them.

When he left school at 16 she said he had a variety of jobs but she said fishing was a passion of his and when he came to live with her in Newquay he ended up staying there on the boats when she moved back to Flushing.

“He was never happier than when he was on a boat,” she said.

She said he’d had a son following brief relationship who had been diagnosed with Usher syndrome last year which meant he would eventually lose his hearing and then his sight. She said Nick felt guilty of not being able to do more for him.

She said he had met Lauren and moved to Porthleven to live with her and her two children. He had become a "house husband" but the relationship had not worked out and they had split up in January of this year.

She said Nick was never quiet and could always talk with everyone but following the split and before he had become quiet and withdrawn and wouldn’t talk to her about what was happening although he did tell her he was “really struggling” with everything.

He had moved in with his grandmother in Penryn two days before he died.

Coroner Andrew Cox recorded a verdict of suicide.

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