Couple who had been married for 57 years died in suicide pact at their home in Yorkshire village

Peter William, 82, and Hazel Walker, 75, were found by their GP in the garden room of their cottage in Stillington, between York and Helmsley, on March 28 this year - and had circled the date on their calendar as 'D-Day'.

An inquest at North Yorkshire Coroner's Court today heard that retired engineer Mr Walker had been suffering from leukaemia and that the couple, who married when they were 25 and 19, had an agreement to 'exit life together' once he was in too much pain.

A postmortem found they had died from taking an overdose of a strong opiate painkiller often prescribed to cancer patients.

Mr Walker and his wife, a retired shop owner, had sent a letter to their only child, daughter Helen Bainbridge, by registered post timed to arrive after their deaths, which contained detailed instructions about their affairs and a door key.

Their other preparations including clearing out their shed and garden, packaging up belongings in pre-labelled boxes for friends and family members, and asking their neighbours to take their bins out after they had died.

Ms Bainbridge described her parents' marriage as happy, though her father had retired early in his 50s with ill health and her mother had suffered a serious depressive episode in 1956. They lived a 'quiet life' and enjoyed seeing friends. Ms Bainbridge visited shortly before their deaths to watch a Six Nations rugby match, and had overheard them making a 'light-hearted' comment about how they did not wish to end up in a care home.

Police who attended the couple's home on Main Street found two bottles of wine with a note reading 'please be happy for us' attached and various other documents that had been prepared.

No evidence of either third party involvement or an attempt by one to harm the other were found.

Assistant coroner for North Yorkshire Jonathan Leach recorded a joint verdict of suicide.