A POLICE officer’s son penned an apology letter to cops before taking his own life, an inquest heard.

Father-of-two Michael Henderson, whose father Richard had recently died, was found dead in his home on Hill Rise in Dalton.

The hearing heard the 54-year-old had sent letters to Barrow police station notifying officers of his intentions and writing apologies to the police who would later attend the scene.

He also asked for the officers who were telling his sister of his death to show empathy as their father had only recently passed, the inquest heard.

He gave no reason as to why he took his own life in his letter, the hearing was told.

The letter said he had left the side gate and back door for the police to gain easier access to the property to find him.

The last person to see Mr Henderson alive was his neighbour Desmond English.

He said in a statement: “He moved in in 2015 and we got on well and had many conversations over the garden fence.

“I saw him on March 28 when he was loading a van as he said he was getting rid of a lot of items.

“He mentioned how his bread delivery round had been undercut and also mentioned that his father had passed recently.

“He then mentioned how he was doing graphic design work to pay the bills.”

Mr English said the last time he saw his neighbour on March 29 when he was out in the garden with his lawnmower.

He was found dead the following day.

Mr Henderson’s sister Christine Critchley said in a statement the death of their mother Irene during his early years at Barrow Technical School had affected him badly.

“Michael took the death of our father badly also,” she said.

“I last spoke to him on January 19 as we had met up to scatter dad’s ashes.”

He grew up on Grantley Road in Barrow where his family had moved when he was four-years-old, he had a sister, Christine, and brothers David and Ian.

He attended Victoria Infant School and later Barrow Technical School before going on to work as an electrician at the shipyard for two years.

Mr Henderson had multiple jobs but his longest stint of work was for Stollers where he was for ten years.

A toxicology report found there was no alcohol or drugs in his blood.

Assistant coroner of Cumbria Simon Ward told the Barrow Town Hall hearing: “He gave no reason as to why he took his own life.

“I think the motivation was associated with the death of his mother and father.

“He had gone to a lot of effort to prepare his death.”