A man hanged himself in his room above a High Wycombe town centre bar after he feared he would return to prison, an inquest heard this week.

Twenty-five-year-old Christopher James died on February 11 this year in his room above The Phoenix Bar in the town centre.

The inquest held at Beaconsfield Coroners Court heard how Christopher feared that he would be sent to prison over a debt of £700.

In a statement read out to in court, Christopher’s friend Lewis Priestley confirmed that Christopher was worried about the debt.

Having previously been in prison in 2015 for driving offences, Christopher became incredibly worried that he would return.

He spoke with his mother on the phone. In a statement read out to court, Christopher’s mother said: “He had a visit from a court officer. They said that they had a warrant for his arrest. They told him that he would face jail if he could not pay his debts.

“He was incredibly upset. I have never heard Chris be so distressed, I did not know his new address but if I did I would have gone to check on him.”

The court heard how Christopher had spent the evening drinking heavily before he took his own life.

He had been drinking at The Phoenix Bar, before he went to meet a friend to move to another bar.

In an extract from a conversation with police constable James Wood, Christopher’s friend Antonio had offered to go out with a drink with him to cheer him up, but he was not allowed into the bar such was the state of his intoxication.

He said: “Antonio offered to take him for a drink. He was in such a state that the door supervisors told him he could not come back into the bar. I did nothing more.

“He walked back in the general direction of The Phoenix bar and Antonio just thought that I would talk to him the next day.”

The court then heard how Christopher returned to The Phoenix Bar, where he messaged a group of friends on Facebook Messenger – apologising and saying that “he could not do it anymore.”

Police officers were called to The Phoenix Bar in the early hours after Chris’s friend discovered his body.

He was rushed to John Radcliffe Hospital, where he sadly passed away two days later.

Concluding, Senior Coroner Crispin Butler confirmed a ruling of suicide.