A 'HIGHLY intelligent' Oxford graduate went missing from his Exeter home and was washed up on a beach nine days later, an inquest has heard.
Robert Salter, 51, who was born and brought up in Exmouth, was reported missing from his home in Morwenna Court in Exeter on October 11 last year.
His body was subsequently discovered on Charmouth Beach nine days later.
At his inquest that was held this morning at County Hall in Exeter, coroner Dr Elizabeth Earland recorded a narrative verdict and said it was not clear where Mr Salter had entered the sea. But she said his mental state had deteriorated significantly in the days building up to his death.
She said: – "At approximately 1am on 11 October 2013 the deceased, who suffered lifelong mental problems which deteriorated in the weeks before his death, in addition to drug dependency, left Morwenna Court, Exeter, and entered the sea at some point.
"His body was finally discovered washed up on the beach nine days later in Charmouth, Dorset."
Four years ago, Mr Salter, an Oxford University history graduate, had ended up homeless and sleeping on Exmouth beach.
He was forced to leave the home his family had lived in for 60 years, after he was evicted by East Devon District Council.
At the time his father James, 82, who was the tenant of the council-owned property on Green Close, had to go into a residential care home.
Then aged 47, Mr Salter told the Echo at the time that he had no other option but to sleep rough as he had nowhere to stay since bailiffs moved him out.
Mr Salter moved from London back to the house to look after his parents and had been there for eight years. His mother died four months prior to his father moving into a care home.
After police were called to assist the eviction, he was left in the street with a bag, a bottle of cider, a shirt and leather jacket. Mr Salter told the Echo the council, despite his family's history at the property, gave him "no opportunity" to take over the tenancy.
He said he suffered from anxiety and depression and since being evicted he would spend his days "just walking around" living on what food he could get.
At the time of the eviction in 2009, a spokesman for East Devon District Council said it had acted within the letter of the law and the possession order was granted by a judge after hearing evidence about the full circumstances from both the council and Mr Salter's representatives.
More recently, Mr Salter lived in Bournemouth Churches Housing Association-owned Morwenna Court, in St David's, Exeter, for people suffering from mental illness.
