RICHARD TODD - TODD'S SON COMMITTED SUICIDE, INQUEST RULES

Oscar-nominated actor RICHARD TODD's son committed suicide after suffering marriage problems, an inquest in Kent, England heard yesterday (03MAR06). THE HASTY HEART star, 86, was devastated when PETER PALETHORPE-TODD, 53, shot himself in East Malling, Kent, last September (05), - eight years after his other son SEUMAS, 20, also committed suicide with a gun. The inquest heard Palethorpe-Todd's widow JILL admit there had been some "very bad" problems in their marriage and her husband was struggling to cope with his diabetic condition and alcohol problems. She said, "He was a man who liked to be in control. He was obsessive. It had got worse over the last five to six years. I wanted to leave and told him so. He would say that I couldn't leave the house or he would kill himself." East Kent and Medway coroner ROGER SYKES recorded a verdict of suicide.