WILFRED Jefferson sent a farewell text to a friend before stabbing himself in the heart but the message was missed because the friend was away.

An inquest heard that Mr Jefferson also sent a last letter to Christopher Howe which arrived when Mr Howe returned from his holiday. A detective looked at the letter then traced the text message, which said: "Hi Chris, sorry to leave this world."

Deputy Herefordshire Coroner Mark Bricknell ruled that the death of Mr Jefferson was suicide. The 54-year-old was found by another friend at a flat in Belmont Road, Hereford, with a stab wound to the chest that punctured his heart. A knife was nearby.

Christine Sullivan said she came back to the flat on Saturday, August 5, last year, to find Mr Jefferson in bed with "blood everywhere". Mr Jefferson, the inquest heard, had long suffered from depression and sometimes spoke of taking his life.

Police officers and paramedics worked to keep Mr Jefferson alive at the scene and on the way to Hereford County Hospital where he died. The subsequent investigation found nothing suspicious about the death.

During the investigation a detective called on Mr Howe to ask if he had received a letter from Mr Jefferson sent just before he died. Mr Howe told the police when the letter arrived, in it, Mr Jefferson wrote that his debts were "too much" and there were "too many complications" in his life, the inquest heard.

A check on Mr Howe's text traffic showed Mr Jefferson had also sent him a message. Mr Howe said he had not seen the message because he was holiday.