A MAN set himself on fire after returning home to an empty house two days after his brother's death.

Thomas Read, 72, returned to the house in Shone's Lane, Llay, after being treated at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd when he took a mixture of medication in an act of self-harm.

While he had been in hospital his brother David had passed away at Wrexham Maelor Hospital on December 26.

Mr Read, a a retired production worker who had been employed at Shotton Steelworks, had been the main carer for his father at the family home until he passed away in 1995.

The inquest at County Hall in Ruthin heard that Mr Read had himself been hospitalised for six weeks after suffering a breakdown while caring for his father.

After his father's death he had lived in the house with his brother David.

On the morning of December 28, 2020, neighbours in Shone's Lane saw smoke in the yard of Mr Read's property.

Mark Davies was alerted by another neighbour banging on his window just after 9am. When he went outside he saw Mr Read on fire in the driveway. He described Mr Read as sitting against a gate with his feet and waist area ablaze. He estimated the flames to be about a foot high. He heard Mr Read take a deep breath but he did not move or speak.

Mr Davies threw water over Mr Read before attempting CPR.

When emergency services arrived, they found that Mr Read had suffered burns to the underside of his legs, his torso was blackened, and his hair was charred.

A post-mortem investigation found that Mr Read's body was not deeply burnt or disfigured but that the cause of his death was fire burns.

The inquest heard that earlier the same morning Mr Read had taken a taxi to the village's McColls shop 0.2 miles away from his home. He had paid some bills and bought a bottle of whisky and two scratch cards.

The cashier was a family friend and he told her about his brother's passing two days earlier. She said she hugged him before he returned home at 8.20am.

Mr Read's sister Ellen Barnes told the inquest that her brother "was a lovely man, he was loved and adored".

Coroner for North Wales (East and Central) John Gittins recorded a conclusion of suicide.

He said: "This was done with the intent of bringing his life to an end at that time."