A former guard to the Queen crawled in front of a train to avoid a court appearance for stealing.
An inquest was told that proud Frank Hinchcliffe had suffered from kleptomania since childhood but could not cope with his first appearance before magistrates for shoplifting at the age of 77.
His family said they believed the humiliating prospect drove the former soldier, who had once served in the Queen’s guard at Buckingham Palace, to take his own life.
In a statement read to the inquest Mr Hinchcliffe’s wife of 53 years, Patricia, said: “He was a troubled man. “Persistently stealing which made it difficult for him to get a job. He had this problem from a young age.”
The inquest was told that funeral director Mr Hinchcliffe, who lived with his wife and son in Caburn Heights, Crawley, had been urged by his family to get help for his habit.
But his kleptomania finally came to the attention of police and he was asked to appear at Crawley Magistrates on June 11.
On June 5 the 77-year-old climbed over the barriers west of Brighton Road level crossing in Crawley and hid behind generator boxes until a train came.
Assistant Deputy Coroner for West Sussex Doctor David Skipp recorded a verdict of suicide.
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