A young soldier threw himself under a train after returning from Iraq.

Student Toby Crundwell, 25, lay down on the railway line as a train approached an inquest into his death was told.

A coroner ruled Mr Crundwell took his own life while the balance of his mind was disturbed but said it remained a mystery why he had thrown himself under the train.

Mr Crundwell, from Groombridge, was struck by the train near Ashurst station in Kent at around 7am on April 17 last year.

The inquest in Tunbridge Wells heard that Mr Crundwell had served a tour of Iraq with the Territorial Army (TA) in 2009, but had been fully debriefed on his return and had shown no ill effects from the experience.

The inquest was told he had spoken of his wish to go to Afghanistan after graduating from university, and that he felt he had not served enough on the front line.

He was due to take his finals in computer studies but he had not expressed any worries and was an intelligent and competent student.

British Transport Police (BTP) coroner's officer Kay Lane said Mr Crundwell had been described by his father David as a "sociable, outgoing, intelligent young man with plans for his future and career".

She said that after thorough questioning of his family, friends and colleagues they could think of nothing that had been upsetting him, save for an ongoing dispute with the Inland Revenue over the tax on his pay.

Ms Lane said he may also have been annoyed at crashing his new MG sports car but his father, who was the last person to see him before he died, did not think he seemed hugely concerned.

She said Mr Crundwell had returned home for the weekend from university in Bristol "on impulse" on April 16 but his family said he "seemed his normal self" and seemed to be having a good relationship with his girlfriend. Ms Lane said the BTP communications centre was informed of a body on the line just after 7am on April 17.

The driver of the 06.34 Uckfield to London Southern Trains service said the train was approaching Ashurst station when he saw a male run out in front of the train and lie down on the tracks in front of him. He applied the emergency brake but it was too late to avoid hitting him, Ms Lane said.

Coroner Roger Hatch said: "I'm left with no alternative than to record a verdict that Toby Crundwell took his own life while the balance of his mind was disturbed."