GARETH Keatley shot himself after the woman he loved refused to answer his marriage proposal.

Businessman Mr Keatley, 51, had proposed to divorced mum-of-three Susan Sutton, from Bosbury, but so had another man called John, an inquest heard on June 26.

Mr Keatley, who ran a cigarette vending machine business, could not stand the 'roller coaster' emotional ride any longer, the Glouces-ter inquest was told.

He stole a friend's double barrelled shotgun and killed himself at his Gloucester home, surrounded by pictures of happier days with Mrs Sutton.

Before shooting himself dead on April 16 this year, bachelor Mr Keatley rang Mrs Sutton's home in Bos-bury three times while she was out, the Gloucester coroner David Gibbons was told.

He left messages on her answering machine indicating his belief that he had lost out to the other man.

Yet Mrs Sutton had not at that stage made up her mind whether her future was with him or the other man, the inquest heard.

In a statement Mrs Sutton, who did not attend the inq-uest, said she returned home at 5.40pm, fifteen minutes after Mr Keatley's last call.

As soon as she heard the messages she feared something was very wrong and called 999 before rushing to Mr Keatley's house.

As she arrived, she said, she saw an ambulance leaving with his body inside. Police at the house confirmed he had killed himself.

The coroner recorded a verdict of suicide.