An inquest has heard how a train driver was left shaking and unable to leave the cab of his locomotive after it hit a man on the track.

Robin Studd died from multiple injuries after being struck by the train.

The inquest at IP-City Centre in Ipswich was told in a statement from Neil Bunt, a driver with more than 35 years’ experience, that the Norwich to Liverpool Street service had left the Norfolk terminus at 10.30am on November 3, 2014.

Mr Bunt’s statement described how he saw a man approach the railway at Broomfield foot crossing in Great Blakenham at around 11am while his train was travelling at the maximum speed allowed on that stretch of line.

The statement continued: “I immediately put the brake into emergency and sounded the horn and closed my eyes.”

Dc James Preston from the British Transport Police said officers found a bike with a postcode stamp which led them to Mr Studd’s address.

The 58-year-old former master baker lived in Church Lane, Claydon, where a fingerprint lifted from a mug was used to identify him.

The inquest also heard how Mr Studd had recently been examined for cancer but the results of tests had come back all clear before the incident. A statement read on behalf of his family said they felt something had been playing on his mind.

The statement added: “He will be missed by his family and his close circle of friends.”

Assistant coroner for Suffolk Nigel Parsley said: “Having considered all the evidence it is clear that for some reason Robin decided to take his life by standing in front of a train.

“Therefore the only conclusion I can come to is that Robin committed suicide. I would like to pass on my condolences to the family.”