Father who wrongly believed he had cancer killed himself in remote area, hears inquest

‘People thought a lot of him. He was always kind and always tried to help people’

Paul Cuniff was described as a 'kind' father by his family (Facebook )

A father of three who wrongly believed he had prostate cancer killed himself in a remote area, an inquest has heard.

Paul Cuniff's body found in a remote area of Crimdon Dene, County Durham, in June after being reported missing by his family.

On the morning of his disappearance, the 43-year-old from Hartlepool told his mother that he believed he had prostate cancer, Teesside Coroner’s court heard.

Cuniff had been in contact with his family and fiancé in the 24 hours prior to his disappearance, and was reported missing after failing to return home. He was found by his son in Crimdon Dene the following day.

The court heard he had a history of depression, and coroner Clare Bailey said was found in a remote area of the park “to make it difficult for him to be found or disturbed".

He went missing after visiting the doctor because of traces of blood in his urine. But a post-mortem did not find any trace of cancer.

“People thought a lot of him,” Mr Cuniff’s sister-in-law, Nicola, told the Hartlepool Mail. “He was always kind and he always tried to help people.”

Mr Cuniff is survived by his son Liam, 24, daughter Savannah, 21, son Jake, 18, and his grandson Lincoln.