HOME Secretary Sajid Javid’s brother drowned in the shower at a country hotel while he was five times the drink-drive limit, an inquest heard.

Tariq Javid took a chef’s knife and a bottle of whisky to a hotel when he embarked on a suicide mission, leaving notes to his partner telling her to “enjoy her life,” a coroner heard yesterday.

Coroner Penelope Schofield recorded a verdict of suicide after hearing Tariq Javid had also cut himself on the neck and had taken a prescription drug and painkiller.

The court heard supermarket chain boss Tariq, 51, left his home in Horsham while his partner of 15 years Sylvia was out shopping on July 29 this year.

Crawley Coroner’s Court heard he left two identical letters that said he would ‘not last long’ due to stomach problems.

Tariq booked himself into the luxury South Lodge Hotel in Upper Beeding, near Horsham, and binged on whisky and wine in his room and at the hotel bar.

When his wife returned home and found the notes, she tried to call the hotel room.

When there was no response she attended the country house and was assisted by a hotel manager who used a master key to let themselves in.

The coroner heard Tariq was found face down covering the drain of the shower. Tariq had several injuries to his neck.

It was said Tariq had significant levels of a prescription painkiller in his system and suffered from serious heart disease.

In June, the month prior to Tariq’s death, the inquest heard he had been signed off from work due to stress and anxiety.

He was also suffering from stomach problems that were said to be “under investigation” by hospital doctors.

Coroner’s officer John Halloran said: “On July 29 he told Sylvia to go shopping. She left around 11.20am and caught the train to Crawley. He said he was going to go to the cinema or the gym.

“Sylvia arrived back at home at 3.45pm and found Mr Javid was not at home but his car was at home. She found two identical letters which gave her cause for concern. They appeared to show he was planning to take his own life. It said ‘carry on and enjoy life’. It said that with the stomach pain he was suffering from he would not last much longer.”

A post-mortem gave the cause of death as drowning, ethanol toxicity, heart disease and painkiller toxicity.

Coroner Penelope Schofield said: “Mr Javid had clear cuts to his neck. They were not themselves deep enough to have caused his death. It is likely together with large amounts of alcohol consumed incapacitated him which resulted in him becoming face down in the shower. As a result of that incapacitation he then drowned.

“Drowning may not have been the method he was proposing for his death but I’m satisfied his action of cutting his neck in this way, having drunk considerable amounts of alcohol in a very short space of time clearly shows to me in entering the shower Tariq intended to end his own life. This is supported by the fact there were notes left indicating a suicidal ideation.”