A FATHER wrote a text message to his family saying “I love you all forever” before killing himself, an inquest heard.

But the message from Amir O’Connor Scott, failed to reach his loved-ones who were frantically trying to find out where he was, the court heard.

The 28-year-old was about to become a dad for the second time when he was found dead on June 24 in Truleigh Hill on the South Downs, near Upper Beeding. Police investigated but concluded his death was not suspicious.

Yesterday West Sussex deputy coroner Martin Milward concluded a verdict of suicide.

Mr O’Connor Scott’s mother told the court her son, of Nevill Court, Nevill Road, Hove, was physically healthy, close to his family and had never suffered from depression.

But he had, she said, recently expressed unhappiness over being unemployed and was in financial debt.

She said she had helped him out with rent after he fell into arrears on a flat in Brighton and became aware after his death of “a lot” of other debt from “things like” speeding fines and mobile phone contracts.

Mr O’Connor Scott’s girlfriend of six years, Yasmin Freeman, was eight months pregnant with their second child when he died.

She told the court his financial problems did “not seem to stress him out” but his behaviour had changed.

She said: “He was just acting a bit different, he could not really look at me [...] he was like, ‘just leave it, I am fine, just tired’.”

The court heard how on June 22 Mr O’Connor Scott went to a barbecue with his girlfriend, leaving at about 7.30pm to go and meet someone. He never came home and his mother reported him missing to police the next day.

Detective sergeant Jason Turner, of Worthing CID, said the death was initially dealt with as a crime, but police concluded no-one else was involved.

Mr O’Connor Scott’s body was found by a dog-walker, with a half empty bottle of rose wine and of whisky nearby. A post mortem showed he had consumed alcohol and cocaine.

Mr Milward said the text message could “well be interpreted as a suicide note”. It was not clear why the family had not received it.