A man known as the “Stockton smiler” took his own life, an inquest has found.
Hundreds of people attended the funeral of John James Dowling, known as “Fatty” to his friends, held at Stockton Parish Church in January.
The 24-year-old from Oxbridge in Stockton died three days after Christmas.
Tributes poured in for the “one in a million mate” who “didn’t have a bad bone in his body”.
The former Ian Ramsey School pupil was “an ordinary 24-year-old living at home with his parents”, said his sister Sarah Louise Dowling in a statement read out at Teesside Coroner’s Court at an inquest held into the cause of his death.
Mr Dowling didn’t have a job but made a living selling horses and carts, his sister said.
“The family misses him very much and are finding it hard to come to terms with his death,” she said.
She said Mr Dowling had split from his girlfriend of six years last spring and the family was “aware of how upset he was” but felt he was “keeping up appearances”.
Clare Bailey, acting senior coroner for Teesside, also read out a statement by Mr Dowling’s best friend Samuel John Webb who saw him the night before he died on December 28.
He said his friend had “seemed a bit down” in the week leading up to his death but Mr Dowling had not talked about it.
After spending the evening chatting and drinking, he left Mr Webb’s house to walk home about 2-3am on the Sunday.
Mr Webb said his friend’s death had come as a “total shock” to him.
Mr Dowling was found in the garage of the family home by his parents and sister.
Ms Bailey said a toxicology report found that Mr Dowling had the equivalent of five pints of beer or 12 measures of spirits in his system as well as cocaine and low levels of prescription drugs.
She said the medical cause of death was hanging and ruled that Mr Dowling had killed himself.
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