POLICE only deemed a missing man a “medium risk” despite text messages suggesting he may have taken 100 pills, a jury inquest heard.

Colin Harding, 39, sent a message to a family member which stated he had taken the tablets and it was now on to “plan B”.

It was one of several messages he sent which also included not “reaching his 40th birthday” which was only a week later.

The messages, shown to police, were part of concerns raised by his family about the immediate threat he posed to his own life, an inquest at Bradford Crown Court heard yesterday.

But Mr Harding was deemed only a “medium risk” in a second missing persons (misper) report filled out by West Yorkshire Police response officer PC Daniel Ledgeway.

The police constable was accused of carrying out a “tickbox” exercise by solicitor Sarah Hemingway, acting on behalf of the family, after both misper reports were almost “identical documents”.

Mr Harding had been kicked out of the family home by his wife who had discovered he was having an affair with another woman, Louise Edgley.

He had been staying with a friend, Alisha Beckworth in Armley, prior to his disappearance.

PC Ledgeway, who attended Ms Beckworth’s house with a female colleague, said: “She was calm and collected, she said he is an attention seeker and he exaggerates, in a nutshell. She was of the impression he was absolutely fine and that he would return.”

PC Ledgeway also attended Colin Harding wife’s house in Bradford, where they also found his lover, Louise.

The pair spent 30 minutes at the address gathering intelligence after Mr Harding was reported missing on July 31, 2015.

“We had four parties in the house who all had one common interest, finding Mr Harding,” he added.

A coroner told PC Ledgeway that, of all the information that was provided to him, the suggestion that Mr Harding had taken 100 tablets was the most significant.

“The previous risk level was taken into account, as were the inspector’s thoughts, as were Miss Beckworth’s, as were Mrs Harding’s,” added PC Ledgeway.

“I don’t recall asking Mrs Harding about the tablets, I would have thought I would have discussed it with her but I cannot recall. In fairness, he only stated an ambiguous plan B.

“He says he has taken 100 tablets that are not having any effect, in my mind I’m thinking is this true?”

The inquest continues.