THE devastated parents of a soldier found dead at his barracks in Wiltshire say they hope "lessons have been learned" following the tragedy.

Lance Bombardier Richard Jones, 23, originally from Caerphilly, was discovered in Larkhill on October 15 2012. He had experienced hallucinations and paranoia since returning from a sailing trip to the Canary Islands with colleagues.

Wiltshire & Swindon Coroner's Court heard that L/Bdr Jones may have feared taking a prohibited fitness supplement would end his career.

The "super fit" tug-of-war player used Hemo-Rage, which was removed from sale in the UK in 2011 and 2012, on a couple of occasions.

He asked a friend to dispose of his tub after discovering it was not permitted in the Army but later became paranoid his hair would be tested.

L/Bdr Jones also told wife Jodie Jones, who he married in 2011, he had been in a relationship with a man during their engagement.

Mrs Jones, who was unable to verify his claim, left her husband alone at home and visited family in Wales, to give the couple time apart.

Colleagues discovered L/Bdr Jones' body two days later, with a handwritten note stating "You deserve better" and a wedding photograph in his kitchen.

Ian Singleton, assistant coroner for Wiltshire & Swindon, reached a narrative conclusion as he could not be sure that L/Bdr Jones intended to take his own life.

Speaking after the three-day hearing, L/Bdr Jones' parents Pamela and Jeffrey Jones, said they hoped there would be "lessons learned" to prevent future tragedies.

"We will never know why Richard took the overdose that led to his death, but Richard never expressed an intention to harm himself or end his own life, and it was clear that at the time he was very unwell indeed," they said.

"We have heard evidence that after Richard became ill he was seen by a number of different organisations before his death, but despite this he was not provided with an assessment by a mental health professional.

"We remain devastated that Richard was left on his own before he died.

We hope that procedures will be strengthened and lessons learned so that other families do not have to go through the trauma we have suffered."

The inquest heard L/Bdr Jones, of the 14th Regiment Royal Artillery, began suffering delusions and paranoia during the sailing trip.

On his flight back, he sent his wife a text stating: "I'm sorry. You deserve better" before confessing to an affair with a man.

Mrs Jones later took her husband to Salisbury District Hospital concerned he was suffering a psychiatric breakdown.

The couple left before seeing a doctor but visited their GP the following morning, on October 12. L/Bdr Jones also met former sergeant major Jamie Lavery to explain his behaviour.

"He said he had taken a training supplement called Hemo-Rage," said Mr Lavery, who has since left the Army.

"I can't understand why he did, he was super fit. I think it might have been playing on his mind that what he had been taking might be illegal in the Army."

The soldier became increasingly paranoid in the early hours of October 13 and returned to Salisbury District Hospital with his wife, but again left before seeing a mental health worker.

Mrs Jones later left her husband after reassuring him their marriage was not over.

The coroner concluded: "There was nothing to suggest that Richard posed a real and immediate risk to his own life.

"This was not a case where there was a systematic failure, nor do I find that those who were responsible for Richard's care contributed to his death by their acts or omissions.

"He was suffering from some form of psychosis which gave him difficulty, on occasion, to distinguish reality from fantasy."

Levels of painkiller found in L/Bdr Jones' body matched those of an accidental, rather than a deliberate, overdose, he added.

The coroner will now write a report to all agencies responsible for L/Bdr Jones' care, along with the Secretary of State for Health.

He will raise concerns about the way information obtained from a patient is recorded, how that information is shared and who is responsible for a patient, especially when there is a transfer of care.