A 20 YEAR-old-man from Okehampton killed himself after taking a legal high – just 17 months after his father committed suicide.

An inquest heard on Tuesday that Stephen Croft got upset when something was mentioned at an all-night party he went to about his father killing himself.

Later that same day Stephen was found hanged in woods near his home in Okehampton.

The Exeter hearing was told that his grandfather, who he was close to, had also recently died.

A post mortem examination revealed that he had alcohol in his system — the level was just above the legal drink drive limit — and a stimulant drug called 4MEC which is found in some legal highs.

The coroner, John Tomalin, said the effects of this particular drug were 'not fully understood' and it was unclear whether the drug affected Stephen in any way.

After watching an England football match and going to the all-night party at a local house, Stephen returned to his home in the Dartmoor town and cut off a piece of cable which he used as a noose to hang himself from a tree.

Stephen, a horse stable constructor, died in June last year.

The inquest heard his family, girlfriend and friends had been left devastated by his death and his mother said he was a 'kind, friendly soul'.

The coroner recorded a conclusion that Stephen took his own life and said it was a 'huge tragedy when a young life is lost in these circumstances'.