Forgive me, said text of top officer who died on Snowdon

Police chief Michael Todd sent a last text message before he died, saying: "I'm sorry for what I have done, forgive me in another life," the inquest into his death heard today.

The 50-year-old chief constable of Greater Manchester also visited suicide websites as well as sending a series of tragic text messages to friends and lovers in the days before he died.

The texts culminated in him admitting he was intending to kill himself and apologising to his wife, Carolyn, about his affair with another woman. Mrs Todd listened intently but made no reaction as the messages and emails were outlined, detailing the troubled mind of the father-of-three who had been confronted by his wife about his behaviour.

His body was found on Mount Snowdon on 11 March. The inquest in North Wales is expected to last for two days.