Owen fight 'left suicide builder a broken man'

A builder who took a fatal overdose after becoming embroiled in a £1.2million legal battle with England striker Michael Owen had been left a "broken man" by the court proceedings, an inquest has heard.

The widow of Michael Flynn told the hearing that the 51-yearold father of two had been under immense pressure after his assets were frozen during the dispute over work carried out at Owen's home at Lower Saughton Hall in Flintshire.

Susan Flynn told coroner Michael Gwynne that her husband had left a note indicating that he intended to take his own life.

She had attempted to revive her husband after being unable to wake him in the early hours of 25 March at their home in Stoke Heath, near Market Drayton, Shropshire.

Mr Flynn, who was declared dead shortly after arrival at Telford Princess Royal Hospital, had been due to appear at a hearing at Manchester county court, where Owen's lawyers were set to ask for the interior designer to be committed to prison.

Mrs Flynn told the court that money was "very tight" in the period before her husband's death because the assets of his business, Decor By Design, had been frozen.

"He couldn't carry on the business and the pressure was just immense on him," she said. Mrs Flynn added: "Michael was always full of life; people wanted to be around him. He was kind, considerate. He was a wonderful man and then with this pressure that was put upon him - the only way I can describe him is as a broken man."

On the evening before his death, Mr Flynn had had had a "really good father-and-son conversation" with his younger son and urged him to work hard.

Mrs Flynn said: " Maybe Michael had made his mind up what was going to happen."

The witness also disclosed she had not been aware that her husband faced the prospect of imprisonment on 25 March.

Pathologist Archibald Malcolm said Mr Flynn had taken at least 25 coproxamol tablets and up to six temazepam pills after drinking alcohol. A verdict of suicide was recorded.

The civil action against the interior designer was taken by the footballer's lawyers amid allegations that Mr Flynn had been paid hundreds of thousands of pounds for work he had not done.