A 'talented' vet died after becoming increasingly distressed at wealthy customers unnecessarily asking him to put their animals down, an inquest heard.

Dr John Ellis was upset that people with new cars parked outside his surgery wouldn't pay to help their animals, a coroner was told.

In contrast, the 35-year-old told his mother that clients who couldn't afford to pay for treatment often brought their pets in too late for anything to be done.

His mother Tina Ellis, a Conservative councillor in Fareham, told an inquest into her son's death that he found this 'destroying'.

The inquest heard that Dr Ellis had tricked a veterinary nurse into giving him the deadly medication by falsely claiming he needed it to put down a friend's 'large dog'.

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Dr John EllisDr John Ellis (Image: Family/Solent News) Winchester Coroner's Court was told that Dr Ellis, who was working at a practice near the city, was experiencing considerable stress in both his professional and private life at the time of his death in November 2022.

Mrs Ellis told the hearing that her son told her: "Owners are leaving it too late to come in, they weren’t seeking help early enough for things that could have been quite simple."

"He was finding that destroying," she added.

Dr Ellis was a resident at Anderson Moores Veterinary Specialists and told his mother he had been having trouble sleeping.

He would sleep in his car sometimes when he was on call, rather than go home and have to drive to the vets in an emergency and was under financial pressure as well, she said. The court also heard that he was having an affair. 

“All of those things completely built up and he was finding it difficult,” she said.

Alex MacDonald, director of Animed - the practice where the vet had acquired the drugs he used to end his life - told the inquest that Dr Ellis was 'almost living a double life'

On the evening of November 6, 2022 the vet said he was going to get some food and pick up a package from Animed. Once there, he told a nurse that he had been permitted to pick up some medication to put down a friend's dog at home. 

Dr Ellis then went to the house of a friend who was on holiday in Tenerife where he administered the drugs to himself.

Police were called and he was taken to the Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester but was pronounced dead in the early hours of November 7.

Dr Ellis's father Robert told the inquest that the ease of access to the medication which killed his son made him feel as if his son had access to a 'loaded gun'.

Recording a verdict of suicide Simon Burge, assistant coroner for Hampshire, said Dr Ellis's death was 'a huge waste of a talented life'.

In a Prevention of Future Deaths report addressed to the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, Mr Burge warned about how Dr Ellis had been able to get hold of the drugs.

In a statement shared by suicide charity Amparo, the family said: "Those who knew John will remember him not only for his professional expertise but also for his warmth, generosity, and genuine love for animals.

"He poured his heart into his work, and his absence leaves a deep void in the lives of all who had the privilege of working with him and knowing him personally.

"As a family, we are devastated by the loss of John, and we continue to grapple with the heartbreak and shock that come with the death of someone so young and full of potential.

"We want to take this opportunity to encourage anyone who may be struggling with mental health challenges to seek support and not suffer in silence.

"No one should feel that they are alone, and we urge everyone to reach out for help if they are in need."

If you would like any help with bereavement, loss, or mental wellbeing, here are some helpline numbers: Call Samaritans at 116 123, Cruse Bereavement Care 0808 808 1677 cruse.org.uk or Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide (SOBS) 0300 111 5065 uksobs.org.