A former carer fell to his death from the top of the Beatties store in Wolverhampton after walking out of a city hospital, an inquest heard.

Sodhi Singh Kehler, aged 35, a patient at Penn Hospital, died on March 11, 2007. He had also been found on the roof of the store’s car park a month earlier after walking out from the open ward at the hospital.

A three-day inquest on Mr Kehler, of Myatt Avenue, Parkfields, Wolverhampton where he cared for his mother, began yesterday. It was opened by city coroner Mr Richard Allen.

A post mortem report read out at the inquest confirmed Mr Kehler died of head injuries and multiple fractures as a result of his fall.

The jury heard that Mr Kehler, who was born in India and had suffered with mental health problems for many years, was admitted into Penn Hospital in December 2006.

Speaking at the inquest, Doctor Chandan Aladakatti from Wolverhampton’s Primary Care Trust, said Mr Kehler had suicidal thoughts in the months leading up to his death.

“When I first saw him in November 2006 we were aware of his suicidal thoughts,” said Dr Aladakatti.

“He was suffering from depressive feelings and was psychotic. He often said to us he felt worthless. He had also been having thoughts of harming himself.”

The jury was also told how Mr Kehler suffered from dysmorphophobia, where a person is excessively concerned about an imagined or minor defect in their physical image.

The inquest heard that Mr Kehler had spent time on an open as well as a closed ward during his time at the hospital in Penn Road.

He had absconded from the hospital on February 5 2007 and went to the roof of Beatties car park, but the police were called and he was taken back to hospital.

Dr Aladakatti said Mr Kehler was kept on an open ward because he didn’t want to feel like a prisoner.

The hearing continues.