A MAN took his own life after accruing more than £10,000 of debt through online gambling sites.

Software engineer Raghotham Gajula also owed upwards of £32,000 through loans and credit cards, Winchester Coroners' Court heard.

The 36-year-old died after being hit by a Bournemouth-bound train passing through Shawford Train Station at just after 9pm on March 31.

The driver of the vehicle said that despite applying the emergency brakes, the train - which was travelling at 90mph - was not able to stop in time.

Coroner Christopher Wilkinson said that notes found in Raghotham's rucksack, as well as at his home, concluded that he had intended to take his own life.

He recorded a conclusion of death by suicide.

The Eastleigh worker's wife Sarekha Puchakayala told the inquest via video link that her husband had been tackling his addiction for a number of years.

As a result of this, they had planned to move back to their home country of India earlier this year, where betting has been partly outlawed, but this plan had been put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Yet, despite this, she told the court that her husband was always happy and jovial.

She said: "He was a very smart and intelligent person.

"He never let his sadness come out; he was always a very happy person. I never saw that sadness of his face.

"Sometimes he would share it with me, but never showed it."

She added that Raghotham, who worked in Winchester, had tried to get rid of his addiction, but was unable to do so.

"I never would have expected that this could happen," she said.

"Everyone liked him and he was a very good person, but [the addiction] was the thing that destroyed our lives."

Following the inquest, the coroner criticised online gambling sites.

He said: "I continue to have grave concerns about online gambling, the ease at which it can be accessed and how hard it can be to get out of it."