A FORMER Bradford vicar accused of committing historic sex offences killed himself on the day he was due to appear in court after being “in meltdown” over the case.

Trevor Devamanikkam, who had bipolar disorder, was found with multiple stab wounds and cuts at his home in Witney, Oxfordshire, on June 6 this year after he failed to attend a hearing at Bradford and Keighley Magistrates Court.

An inquest into the death of the 70-year-old, who served at St Aidan’s Parish Church in Buttershaw around three decades ago, took place today at Oxford Coroner’s Court.

The inquest heard from Dr Ian Roberts, who carried out the post mortem, that Mr Devamanikkam died of severe blood loss from wounds, which he considered to be self-inflicted.

Concerns were first raised by a close friend on June 5, who described the retired Church of England vicar as being in ‘meltdown’ over his upcoming court case.

Development manager at Otters Court, Julianne Baker, had also received a note from him the day before his death indicating he was suicidal but, when asked, said he had ‘changed his mind’.

But psychiatrist Dr Megan Theodoulou, who had been treating Mr Devamanikkam for several years, said his mental health team had not been aware of the contents of the note or upcoming trial and he had appeared stable during a visit later that same day, adding: “With hindsight, that information may have impacted how we conducted his care.”

Mr Devamanikkam was facing six charges relating to sexual assaults alleged to have taken place over a 13-month period in the 1980s, while a vicar in Bradford; three counts of indecent assault on a man aged 16 or over, and three counts of serious sexual assault with a male aged between 16 and 21 without consent.

A note was found by officers written by Mr Devamanikkam that said he was “so sorry for the distress his death would cause” but that he “couldn’t face going through it all” in relation to the trial.

Assistant coroner for Oxfordshire, Rosamund Rhodes-Kemp, said: “In 2017 he appeared to be doing quite well until events regarding the court case. This caused a huge amount of anxiety and concern.”

Considering the timing of his death, the coroner said she believed he intended to take his own life and recorded death by suicide.