Liam Adkins was found on the road slumped against the kerb at the junction of Chalons Way and Station Road in the early hours of Tuesday, May 6.

Liam's mum, Sharon Adkins, had no idea her son was suicidal and said as far as she knew he did not suffer with depression. She said he seemed happy and had been out with friends at the weekend for his birthday.

Giving evidence at Derby Coroner's Court on Monday, she said: "He was the outgoing one. I would definitely not say he would be someone who would have contemplated taking his own life."

But a police officer told the court how he had talked Liam down from the bridge in September last year, but Mrs Adkins did not know about it.

Liam's mum went on to say that the day before he died he seemed down and would not leave his room.

She said: "He didn't come out of his bedroom all day, he watched films.
I kept going upstairs and asking him if he was coming down but he kept saying I'm going to watch another DVD.

"I thought he'd had an argument with someone. He was just lying down curled up in a ball. He used to tell me everything so I was really surprised."

Mrs Adkins, of Hallam Fields Road, told the court she went to wake him up the next morning and he was not there. She said when she arrived at work, she heard on the radio that a man in his early 20s had been found and she knew something was wrong.

Despite his injuries, after jumping Liam wandered about 50 yards down the road, where a milkman, who was on his way to work, saw him and spoke to him.

Milkman Frederick Parker said: "I was driving up Chalons Way and a very smartly dressed young chap was walking around. A nice looking lad, very clean shaven, but he had a bit of blood on his head.

"I stopped and asked him if he was alright and he said yes. So I drove off, but I was a bit worried about him. I looked back and he had sat down under the bridge so I reversed back.

"I said 'look, I'll dial 999' and he said 'no don't'. I thought he had been in a fight. I looked back and he was walking off."

About half an hour later at 3.20am another man saw him on his way to work and thought he had been in a fight. He did not have a phone on him, so asked a couple walking their dog to ring 999.

The couple rang for an ambulance but said in court they could not feel a pulse on him.

Consultant pathologist, Andrew Hitchcock, said Liam suffered fatal head and chest injuries and found no trace of alcohol or drugs in his system.

Police found a suicide note addressed to his mum and sister in the pocket of his trousers.

Although it was not read out in court, Coroner, Robert Hunter, said: "In the letter he does say he is sorry for what he is doing and asks the family to look after each other."

Coroner, Dr Robert Hunter, said he could not record a verdict of suicide because he was not 100 per cent sure that at the time he passed away, he still wanted to end his life.

He said he was sure he intended to kill himself when he jumped, but he could have changed his mind in the time leading up to his death.

An open verdict was recorded. Dr Hunter said: "It's such a tragic loss."

After the inquest, Mrs Adkins said: "I loved him so much. We all really loved each other."

Liam's 26-year-old sister, Lisa, said: "He was an uncle to my six year-old, Kieran, and he did everything with him. He was like a father figure. He took him to the pictures and everywhere, he was like his shadow.

"Liam was a huge Liverpool fan and Kieran wore the Liverpool kit to the funeral. He really misses him, he loved him so much."

Liam's friends also wore the Liverpool kit to his funeral, and the six friends who carried his coffin had the name Adkins printed on the back of their shirts.