THE pressure of promotion led to a young professional's suicide, an inquest heard.

Benjamin Cheung drove his BMW to a secluded area of the car park at Lostock train station and stabbed himself three times with a kitchen knife.

The incident happened on his 29th birthday.

Mr Cheung took his own life just hours after being released from hospital after taking an overdose of sleeping tablets.

Bolton Coroner’s Court heard Mr Cheung had become depressed after accepting a promotion for which he felt he was not ready.

On Saturday, May 30, he wrote suicide notes to his mother and his girlfriend and sent “goodbye” text messages to close family and friends.

When his girlfriend received one of the texts she rushed to his home in Eastwood Close, Bolton, and found him lying on his bed with a knife resting on his chest. There was a bottle of sleeping tablets, a bottle of vodka and a bottle of Sprite nearby, along with the suicide notes in which he explained how he “couldn’t cope anymore”.

Mr Cheung, who worked for ADT Fire and Security Solutions, was taken to hospital where he was treated and seen by a psychiatrist. He told the doctor he regretted overdosing and how he wanted to go to a birthday party thrown by his family.

It was agreed Mr Cheung had a good support network and doctors released him to his family the next day. However, they were not told of the suicide notes and soon after his release he drove to the station and stabbed himself. Commuter Naomi Hall tried to resuscitate him at around 5.45pm, but he died.

Recording a verdict of suicide brought on by clinical depression, assistant deputy coroner Peter Watson said: “Benjamin was a model son, a model brother, a model employee and a model citizen. It was clear he was struggling to cope with his new responsibilities.”