A 21-year-old man from Kendal died after jumping off a fourth floor balcony, an inquest heard.

Coroner Margaret Taylor, speaking at Kendal County Hall, recorded a verdict of suicide.

The incident occurred in the early hours of the morning on April 26, 2019, at Kirkland View in Kendal.

In court, family members paid tribute to a “bright and clever” young man who had completed his university dissertation the day before his death. His mother has since collected his degree on his behalf.

Ms Taylor said Mr Clarkson, who had a history of anxiety and depression, had told mental health practitioners he had attempted to seriously harm himself on a number of previous occasions. He had also been prescribed different antidepressants at various times in the years prior to his death.

The day before he died he and his partner, Jordan Musgrave, had argued, although Mr Musgrave, who described their relationship as “on and off”, said this was “no more serious” than any other argument they had had.

On the evening of April 25, Mr Clarkson was at Wetherspoons in Kendal. He went back with others to a friend’s flat, on the second floor of Kirkland View.

In keeping with the reports of people who were at the flat with him, the post-mortem confirmed that he had a “significant amount” of ethanol in his system (he had been drinking) as well as cocaine at a level indicating “recreational use”.

Around 4.30am he told friends he was going out for a cigarette whereupon he went up to the fourth floor.

Ms Taylor said: “The fact he went up further steps looks as though he intended the consequence.”

She added the evidence indicated he jumped off, dying from his injuries.

Concluding Mr Clarkson died by suicide, Ms Taylor said: “He had struggled for much of his adult young life with depression and anxiety and I think the term depression is used very, very loosely [by people].

“People do not understand how dark it can become.”

In a statement read out in court, Mr Clarkson’s mother, Helen Sanderson, spoke of her son as a clever young man who had done well at school and had a bright future ahead.

She said he was more attracted to books than sports on account of the hip surgery he had as a child which left him wheelchair-bound for a time.

“As soon as he learned to read there was nothing that could stop him,” she added.

He went to Ghyllside Primary School and Kirkbie Kendal secondary school, before studying sociology at Edge Hill University.