Businessman killed himself believing his wife was having an affair

A managing director killed himself after wrongly convincing himself that his wife of 13 years was having an affair, an inquest has heard.

Phil Smith, 52, had moved out of the £1.5m home he shared with wife Violetta a few days before his death, after he followed her and saw her with another man.

Convinced she was seeing someone else, he booked a rural chalet, turned off the tracker on his Range Rover and drove 37 miles before hanging himself from a roof beam.

The inquest heard Mr Smith was a hardworking and dedicated businessman. Managing director of Orbis Software, he had built his own home - a large detached property with a swimming pool next to prestigious Ferndown Golf Club in Dorset.

He had two children from his first marriage but had been with his second wife Violetta, with whom he had three daughters, for nearly 13 years

Mr Smith suffered a stroke in 2012 which affected him both physically and mentally and since then, he had suffered with pain and depression.

The Bournemouth inquest heard that he became insecure and paranoid and believed his wife was having an affair.

Mrs Smith said: "We had been living together but we were bickering and arguing so prior to his death Phil moved out and stayed with friends, the Sunday before he died.

"We had discussed divorce last July but decided to work through our issues. He said he loved me and couldn't imagine life without me."

Mrs Smith said she still thought they could reconcile and that there was no affair, her husband had imagined it.

But his daughter Khianna from his previous marriage, who worked with her father, said he had broken down in tears at the office on January 31 when he told her he had seen his wife with a man.

She said: "He believed he had seen her with somebody else. He came into work on the Tuesday and just broke down in tears. He said he drove to Dorchester and saw Violetta with another man.

"On the Monday he went to see his divorce solicitor to draw up divorce financial status and the week before that we were viewing flats for him to move into. As far as he was concerned the relationship was over.

"He loved her to bits but he couldn't see a future."

The following day he had dinner with friends but drove himself to the chalet later that evening, sending delayed text messages to his son Joshua, daughter Khianna and several friends, which only arrived several hours after his death, telling them what he had done.

Police had to use check points to track his car's movements and his mobile phone to triangulate his position before they found his body, surrounded with photos of his loved ones,  at Stour Cross Farm near Gillingham on February 2.

The court heard that Mr Smith had booked the chalet multiple times before his death. He first booked in 2016, for October 11-14 and paid in full but did not show up.

Rachael Griffin, the Dorset senior coroner, recorded a verdict of suicide. She said: "Phil was very popular, well liked and much loved. He was a devoted family man and devoted to his career.

"He had troubles at home. He never specifically talked about any plans of taking his own life but had talked in the past about not wanting to be here.

"He went to a remote area, turned off the tracking device on his car - he never intended to be found or interrupted.

"He sent texts on delay which clearly indicated they were making provision for the future, goodbye messages and indicated he had already taken his own life."