An inquest heard that the grieving father of a driver murdered by road rage thug Kenneth Noye committed himself hours after his dog died.
Kenneth Cameron, 75, committed suicide in March of this year by consuming paracetamol and alcohol.
His brother Gary discovered him in his retirement home flat, and he died about 24 hours later at a hospital in Ashford, Kent.
Mr Cameron had been depressed following the death of his wife, retired nurse Toni, in 2016, according to an inquest this week.
The 2019 release of road-rage killer Noye, 75, who murdered his son Stephen, 21, on an M25 slip road in Swanley, Kent, in 1996, tormented him as well.
Ken and his wife had fought tooth and nail to keep him in prison.
‘Mr Cameron’s mental health had been deteriorating after the death of his wife,’ said coroner Katrina Hepburn, who recorded a suicide judgment.
‘The death of his dog had struck him very hard.
‘When his brother went to see him, he was discovered in his flat unconscious.’
Mr Cameron was ‘upset that he had survived’ a heart attack in 2017, according to the inquest.
As Mr Cameron’s condition deteriorated, consultant Dr Debkuma Pandit gathered his family together, according to the Coroner.
‘His family said that he had been despondent for many years and that the death of his dog was the catalyst for his suicide attempt,’ Dr Pandit said.