A 'dearly loved son and uncle' from Oldham died after falling from a quarry, a coroner’s court heard.

Wayne Hemmings died on March 22 this year, after falling from the edge of a quarry near his home on Southgate, Dobcross.

The 47-year-old was found in the backyard of a house on Sugar Lane, situated at the bottom of the quarry.

Rochdale coroner’s court heard on Monday (August 1) that Mr Hemmings had a long history of paranoid schizophrenia and had suffered mental health problems since he was a university student.

He was required to take antipsychotic medication as a result.

An assessment by mental health professionals in May 2021 found he was at ‘low’ risk of harming himself, though a mental health nurse said he had fluctuating moods.

However, his medication changed in the months leading up to his death.

The court heard how Mr Hemming’s parents said the new medication had made him more "sociable and warmer", but that concerns were later raised.

By January 2022, his parents became concerned and said he had become “increasingly agitated”.

The following month, the nurse who came to visit him said she had no concerns about him during the day although he reported to her as having poor sleep.

The nurse was due to visit again on March 18 but had to rearrange due to a positive Covid test in Mr Hemming’s household.

In the week leading up to his death, Mr Hemmings had complained to his mother that he was feeling “dreadful”.

Coroner Catherine McKenna weighed up whether the fact he did not receive his medication in March could have had an impact but said pathology and toxicology reports revealed he had the right dosage of medication in his system at the time of his death.

When weighing up the evidence, the coroner assessed whether Mr Hemmings deliberately took his life or if the fall was an accident.

The court heard how Mr Hemmings never meant to harm himself when he was well and he was not deemed at risk of suicide and he was of low risk of self-harm.

His father, Alan Hemmings, said he was “almost certain he would never self-harm”.

Between 2pm and 2.30 pm, Wayne Hemmings left the house to go walking, which the coroner said was not unusual.

The court heard how it was also not unusual for Mr Hemmings to go to the quarry as he had been going to the area since he was a child.

The coroner said his familiarity with the area might have meant he overlooked the danger signs and warnings of a steep drop.

But there was no evidence that Mr Hemmings slipped through the holly bushes that have been planted around the perimeter to prevent access.

The coroner said that while Mr Hemmings was not in a good state of mind at the time, there was no history of self-harm or suicide attempts and no direct evidence of suicidal intention such as a letter, posts on social media or any verbal indication to family members.

The coroner said that there is no room for presumptions and therefore gave the verdict of an open conclusion, ruling out both suicide and an accident.

It was concluded that Mr Hemmings died as a result of "catastrophic" injuries from a fall on March 22.

The coroner added that Mr Hemmings was clearly a “dearly loved son and uncle” who was close to his mother and would be sorely missed.

If you're struggling with your mental health or are in crisis, you can call Samaritans free of charge on 116 123 - they're available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.