'Stressed' bank chief kills himself

Published on Thursday 31 May 2007 12:08

A STRESSED bank executive killed himself on the day he was due to deliver a speech at a top London hotel.

Father-of-three Colin Swanson, 38, of Burnhouse Farm, Kirknewton, near Edinburgh, was found hanging from a toilet door at the Millennium Hotel in Grosvenor Square, Mayfair, after pulling out as a speaker at a pension fund conference, an inquest heard yesterday.

Mr Swanson worked as the director of structured finance for the Bank of Scotland, which was one of three sponsors for the conference which was held on March 29.

Wife Carol told Westminster Coroner's Court that her husband had become increasingly stressed in the build-up to the conference.

She said: "In the three weeks prior to his death he had become literally overnight very stressed over his work.

"Four days before he died on a Sunday he was extremely stressed and wasn't sleeping at all."

Mrs Swanson said she organised for her husband to see a doctor.

He called her and said that he had found a stress management consultant he wanted to see instead.

Mrs Swanson said: "He went to see him basically to say he was suffering from work-related stress."

She said her husband had been promoted by the Bank of Scotland to head of structure products just a year earlier.

Mr Swanson, who had previously worked for Ernst & Young, headed a team of 20 staff at the Bank of Scotland.

Mrs Swanson added that 500 people attended Mr Swanson's funeral.

"He was the life and soul of the party, he was a very upbeat person," she said.

His three children are aged 11, eight and four.

Coroner Paul Knapman recorded a verdict of suicide.