A woman with a fear of ageing killed herself in a Strood hotel bedroom, an inquest heard.

Charity worker and counsellor Melanie Beergooparsad, 35, was found dead at the Premier Inn, Medway Valley Leisure Park, after taking a drugs overdose.

Her close friend Garry Millar saw her car parked outside the hotel, in Chariot Way, the day after her mother reported her missing.

A note to friends and family on the bedside table read: "Do not resuscitate if still conscious".

Police earlier searched Miss Beergooparsad's flat, where they discovered she had been using her laptop to research suicide.

Miss Beergooparsad, who had worked as a school counsellor, checked in for a two-night stay on Saturday, August 17, and was last seen on CCTV going into her room at about 5.15pm the following day.

"She was obsessed with looking in the mirror and getting old for her was a big no..." - friend Garry Millar

She was not discovered until Thursday, August 22, when police forced entry into the room.

Mr Millar, a former colleague, was described at the inquest as her confidante and somebody with whom "she shared her darkest thoughts".

He said her mental health problems revolved around her appearance. "She was obsessed with looking in the mirror and getting old for her was a big no," he said.

Miss Beergooparsad, of London Road, Maidstone, confided in him about other suicide attempts and had been taken to hospital after overdosing on drugs.

Mr Millar grew increasingly concerned about her state of mind from the beginning of last year after she admitted the failed attempts to kill herself.

He said: "She kept saying she wanted to sleep, and sleep to her was to go and not just sleep."

Mr Millar tried to persuade her to get medical help and counselling, but she did not co-operate.

When her mother Gillian Beergooparsad rang him, concerned she had not shown up for the appointment, he decided to carry out his own search.

He said: "I went to Medway Valley Park because it was one of her favourite haunts. She liked the restaurants and cinema and felt comfortable there."

A statement from her mother was read at the inquest at Archbishop's Palace, Maidstone.

Mrs Beergooparsad described her daughter as a very intelligent person who was always helping others.

A post-mortem examination showed Miss Beergooparsad died from a fatal overdose of barbiturates.

Mid Kent and Medway coroner Patricia Harding said: "I am satisfied that Melanie Beergooparsad killed herself."

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