THE family of an 80-year-old man who plunged to his death from a window at a Bolton care home disputed a coroners court verdict of accidental death.

Robert Cragg died after falling 10ft from a first floor window at Greenlands Residential Home, in Green Lane, on January 14 last year.

Although a jury spent more than two hours deliberating its verdict at an inquest in Bolton on Friday afternoon, Mr Cragg's family insisted after the hearing that his death was suicide, not an accident.

Mr Cragg's daughter, Susan Reay, said: "The jury didn't know my dad and they've said it was an accident. I know it was suicide.

"The truth is that he suffered so much that he'd just had enough of life and didn't want to carry on."

The inquest heard that care home staff found the grandfather lying on a path below his window at around 1pm.

Paramedics were able to trace a faint pulse, Mr Cragg died later that afternoon in hospital from chest injuries.

The inquest was told that Mr Cragg moved into the home in 2001 after a lung condition, brought on by years spent working in Bolton cotton mills, worsened following the death of his second wife Sarah in 1999.

Although Mr Cragg was being treated for depression in the home and needed a 24-hour oxygen feed to allow him to breathe, staff at the home said he had "good and bad days".

Care home manager Carry Ashton told the jury: "Some days he could be bright and chatty."

His family described the war veteran as being of sound mind but said his debilitating illness had caused him to be unhappy.

Mr Cragg's had previously attempted to commit suicide when, in September 2001, he took an overdose of tablets.

A subsequent investigation cleared the care home of any negligence and police said there were no suspicious circumstances.

Consultant pathologist Jonathan Pearson told the inquest that Mr Cragg died from extensive chest injuries he received in the fall and said there were no circumstances which indicated foul play.

Mrs Ashton declined to comment after the hearing.

Mrs Reay, aged 52, added: "It was the wrong verdict but disputing that is not going to change anything or bring our dad back.

"Although it was a massive shock for us, I know that he didn't want to live.

"As far as we are concerned this is the end of the matter but we are disappointed at the verdict."