A troubled soldier killed himself with a huge overdose of cocaine at his army base, an inquest heard.

Kingsman Jordan Corcoran took 60 times the fatal amount of the drug after he swapped guard duties with a comrade in July this year, it was said.

The following morning the 28-year-old father-of-one did not arrive for parade and was reported missing.

Eight days later he was tragically discovered dead in undergrowth at Weeton Barracks, in Preese, Lancashire.

A coroner in Blackpool concluded that Kgn Corcoran intended to take his own life, adding: "He would have known that taking this level of cocaine would have been fatal."

In the hours before he disappeared, the squaddie had posted a Facebook comment to his grandmother expressing 'low self esteem' about his life.

The inquest heard Kgn Corcoran had served with the Duke of Lancaster Regiment since February 2014 and was deployed to Kenya in 2015, Cyprus between 2016 and 2017 and then the USA in October 2017.

The soldier had split up in May this year with his girlfriend, the inquest heard.

Jordan 'had issues with his emotional health', the inquest heard

Detective Inspector Alicia Wilson told the Blackpool hearing: “She (his girlfriend) was concerned about him because of the messages she got from him which seemed like he was depressed.

"He said he didn’t know who he had become. He felt like getting signed off and didn’t want to feel like this anymore, and said ‘what was the point of being there every morning’."

The detective added: ''He was reported missing on 4th July and was regarded as a high risk missing person due to messages sent to his grandmother and his ex-partner which could indicate his mood was low.

“His roommate saw him on the phone at midnight and then returned to his room to change out of his uniform. CCTV footage shows him around the gatehouse that night. He hadn’t used his bank card, account or phone since 3rd July."

He said the army conducted a search and Kgn Corcoran was found dead by the barracks fence.

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Fellow soldier Nathan Button said in a statement: “I knew Jordan had problems with his ex girlfriend but I didn’t know what about."

He added: “He said he would give me £50 if I did his hours for him. I said he didn’t need to pay me, I would do it, but he could do my hour shift in the morning."

Tests showed Kgn Corcoran had a fatal amount of cocaine in his blood.

Lt Col Rob Singleton, Commanding Officer of 2nd Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, said there were 'welfare issues' with Jordan.

He added: ''We were monitoring him, but we felt he was not at risk of harm.

“He had been seen arguing and stressed before duty on 3rd July and then didn’t report for duty. We didn’t know where he was. We felt he may have left the main part of the barracks, which means he left work without permission.

“We have a zero tolerance to drugs and we do regular drug tests. He had eight drug tests over his service.

Kgn Corcoran had served with the Duke of Lancaster Regiment since February 2014 and was deployed to Kenya in 2015, Cyprus between 2016 and 2017 and then the USA in October 2017

“He was clear on six of them and the other two could not be taken at the time but does not mean he had drugs in his system. There was nothing to say he was an active drug taker.

''We have the authority to search people as they come into the barracks and can be refused entry if they refuse. But I trust my soldiers.”

Recording a verdict of suicide coroner Alan Wilson said: “Jordan did have issues with his emotional health. He was low in mood and had let his grandma know as he had a close relationship with her.

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“He was particularly low and was thinking about how he was wasting his life and he experienced problems with his emotions. But he was at a level that didn’t require more action by the army.

''He had a chaotic style of life and it got too much for him. People are making different claims about the days and events before his death, but overall his personal life was chaotic.

"He had a combination of issues with finance and child access. He was looking forward to being deployed in the summer which may have saved money for him.

“He had taken cocaine in gross levels and this would have affected his heart rhythm massively. He would have known that taking this level of cocaine would have been fatal. Things became too much for him. With extremely high levels of cocaine he intended to end his life.''

His ex partner did not give evidence at he hearing. But in a post on Facebook she said: ''I will always be so super proud of Jordan. My heart ache continues everyday. Sleep tight soldier you've done us proud.''

Helplines and websites

Beat Eating Disorders: Beat provides helplines for adults and young people offering support and information about eating disorders. These helplines are free to call from all phones. Adult Helpline: 0808 801 0677, Studentline: 0808 801 0811, Youthline: 0808 801 0711. www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk

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Samaritans (116 123)samaritans.org operates a 24-hour service available every day of the year. If you prefer to write down how you’re feeling, or if you’re worried about being overheard on the phone, you can email Samaritans at jo@samaritans.org , write to Freepost RSRB-KKBY-CYJK, PO Box 9090, STIRLING, FK8 2SA and visit www.samaritans.org/branches to find your nearest branch.

CALM (0800 58 58 58) thecalmzone.net has a helpline is for men who are down or have hit a wall for any reason, who need to talk or find information and support. They're open 5pm to midnight, 365 days a year.

Childline (0800 1111 ) runs a helpline for children and young people in the UK. Calls are free and the number won’t show up on your phone bill.
PAPYRUS (0800 068 41 41) is a voluntary organisation supporting teenagers and young adults who are feeling suicidal.

Depression Alliance is a charity for people with depression. It doesn’t have a helpline, but offers a wide range of useful resources and links to other relevant information depressionalliance.org

Students Against Depression is a website for students who are depressed, have a low mood or are having suicidal thoughts. Bullying UK is a website for both children and adults affected by bullying studentsagainstdepression.org

The Sanctuary (0300 003 7029 ) helps people who are struggling to cope - experiencing depression, anxiety, panic attacks or in crisis. You can call them between 8pm and 6am every night.There are other depression charities.