THE death of a man in Wem in late 2019 has been ruled as suicide by a coroner.

The body of Richard Michael Downes, aged 35 and of no fixed abode, was found near the Co-op in Isherwoods Way, at around 6.30am on Thursday, December 30.

Paramedics and police attended the scene, but Mr Downes was declared dead 20 minutes later.

At the inquest, held on Wednesday, April 8, coroner for Shropshire, John Ellery recorded a conclusion that he died from hanging.

"On Monday, December 30, 2019 at 6.26am, police and West Midlands Ambulance Service attended a call for concerns for a male found at the side of the Co-Operative Store located in Isherwoods Way, Wem," said Mr Ellery.