A FORMER Highland Games champion who shot himself with a bolt gun at a busy cattle mart where he was a director was fighting depression, an inquest has heard.

Stephen Aitken, 45, who competed on the games circuit for more than 25 years, had sought treatment for the illness after the stress of running Darlington Farmers' Auction Mart became too much.

The father-of-four, originally from Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, died after locking himself in his cramped office and shooting himself in the head with the "humane killer" on May 14 last year.

Teesside coroner Clare Bailey yesterday returned a verdict that he killed himself having heard that despite his depression he could still make decisions for himself, he was not intoxicated at the time, and that to fire the bolt would require at least four deliberate actions.

His partner Catherine Sheret, with whom he lived and worked for 15 years and who is the mother of his two daughters, said in a statement read out at the inquest she could not explain his actions.

She said: "Stephen had never harmed himself, never threatened to do anything. I am absolutely at a loss to explain it."

Jim Brown, president of the Scottish Highland Games Association and a family friend, said the games, both home and abroad, still mourned the loss of Mr Aitken, who he described as a "very gifted athlete" who would be remembered by games writers and historians.

Mr Brown said the games had brought solace to Mr Aitken during his illness.

The inquest heard fellow auctioneer Andrew Armstrong had raised the alarm when Mr Aitken, who had two teenage sons from a previous relationship, went missing. Mr Armstrong and colleagues heard a noise from the locked office and when they broke the door down he was found slumped at his desk.

Paramedics found he still had a pulse but he had suffered a catastrophic brain injury and died in hospital later.

Pathologist Dr Edward Carling said: "It was a massive, unsurviv-able brain injury."

The bolt gun, used if livestock got injured at the market, was found by his side.

Mr Aitken had suffered from anxiety, insomnia and depression for more than a year and had sought treatment, including one night at a psychiatric unit, and was prescribed a series of anti-depressants and sleeping pills.

Mr Armstrong told the inquest he was aware his friend and colleague was suffering from depression.

In the previous months, he had discussed using the bolt gun on himself, Mr Armstrong said, but they had talked about it and the issue went away.

The coroner concluded: "I am satisfied beyond reasonable doubt Stephen Aitken died by killing himself."

Ms Sheret and Mr Aitken's brother Bruce, who also attended the hearing, did not wish to comment afterwards.

Mr Brown said: "He was a very gifted athlete who had competed in the Highland Games circuit for some 25 years and was still competing at a very high level just prior to his death.

"Stephen appeared as a very precocious youngster and was challenging the established athletes at the age of 17 and went on to win prestigious titles around Scotland and abroad."

Mr Brown added: "Despite a very busy and demanding auctioneering career, the pull of the games brought him back north to compete and to visit his home country on the braes of Glenbervie near Stonehaven.

"Although always a keen competitor, Stephen had been brought up by his parents, Rob and June, to appreciate all aspects of highland games and countryside crafts and pursuits.

"Stephen was bigger than just an athlete. Records, times and distances do not tell the whole story about this generous, caring and gifted athlete who gave so much and had still so much to give."