A farm worker was found hanged in a tree after losing hundreds of pounds through gambling, an inquest heard.

Florin Batrinca was discovered hanged by a colleague in woods near Abbey Fields in Faversham in March.

The 26-year-old had been reported missing after not returning home the night before and his body was found the following morning.

DS Jonathan Pearce, of Kent Police, said Mr Batrinca had struggled with a gambling addiction and a recent relationship break-up.

“Mr Batrinca would gamble a large amount of his wages and on a recent occasion lost £850,” he told the hearing.

An account showed a balance of £4.35 at the time of his death.

Coroner Bina Patel told the hearing at Archbishop’s Palace in Maidstone yesterday that Mr Batrinca’s family were not aware of any history with mental health issues. He had not attended his GP surgery during his time in the UK. But DS Pearce said Mr Batrinca told a friend he wanted to “take some strong pills as he couldn’t take this life any more”.

Viselin Metkov, who was Mr Batrinca’s work supervisor, found his colleague’s body at about 9.30am on Saturday, March 16.

He told police he had last seen his friend walking on a path heading into Faversham between 5pm and 6pm the night before.

Mr Batrinca, who lived in a caravan at Sandbanks Farm, had worked as a farm hand picking fruit on the Edward Vinson farm in Faversham for several years during the spring and summer months. His manager described him as “a hard worker”.

DS Pearce confirmed there was no suspicion surrounding Mr Batrinca’s death with “no defence injuries” visible.

Ms Patel recorded a verdict of suicide. She said: “Taking into account the totality of the evidence, I’m satisfied that Florin Batrinca took his own life and intended to do so. I will record this in the record of inquest.”

Friends and family raised thousands of pounds to help repatriate Mr Batrinca's body back to his family in his hometown of Corabia in Romania.

The Gambling Commission says it is reviewing the findings after a KentOnline investigation revealed bookmakers in the Canterbury area are failing to enforce self-exclusion rules for problem gamblers.

If you are having issues with gambling find more information at the Gamble Aware charity's website and if you're struggling with mental health contact Samaritans free on 116 123.

You can also find out more information for mental health services and Kent County Council's Release the Pressure campaign via the KCC website.

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