A PENSIONER struggling to come to terms with his wife's worsening dementia killed himself by walking into the sea at Mudeford Quay - a place they used to visit together, reports the Bournemouth Daily Echo.

The body of Howard Dalton, aged 72, was discovered close to the shoreline at Hengistbury Head on May 24 this year.

Police, coastguard and the RNLI carried out an extensive search the previous day after the Southampton man's red Ford Focus was discovered abandoned at the quayside.

The keys were inside and a man's overcoat was found neatly folded-up, with a pair of glasses on top, near some stone steps leading to the water.

Speaking at Bournemouth Coroner's Court on Tuesday, Mr Dalton's stepson, David Denney, described his mum and Mr Dalton's wife Valerie as "the big factor" in his stepfather's life. "When he saw he was losing her, it was the end of his world," he added.

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The day before he drove to Mudeford Quay, Mr Dalton experienced a "particularly distressful" visit with his wife, the court heard.