Banks were ‘always ringing’ man who killed himself

A man who took his own life was distressed over financial difficulties and the banks were always ringing him, his wife told his inquest.

Victor Zorin, aged 57, was found dead as a result of self-inflicted wounds in the bathroom of his home on Synge St in Dublin 8 on October 5 last year

Dublin Coroner’s Court heard from his wife, Oxana Popova, who said she discovered him collapsed in the bathroom at around 2.15pm. When she last saw him at around 9am, he was still in bed.

Prior to finding him, she thought he had gone out to get food or go for a walk because the shutters were closed in his office.

Mr Zorin was cold when Ms Popova took him out of the shower and when paramedics arrived at the scene he was already deceased.

A Garda doctor found rigor mortis present which indicated that Mr Zorin had been dead for a number of hours.

Ms Popova gave evidence that her husband was stressed by his financial difficulties.

They had defaulted by two months on their mortgage and “the banks were always ringing Victor”, she told the coroner.

“He was very stressed out. He was blaming himself for decisions he made and he was very upset at the situation we were in,” she said.

He was quite negative about the situation, she told the coroner, and was “very distressed” having worked hard all his life to achieve what he had achieved and to make a better future for his children.

A week before his death Mr Zorin went to a GP who prescribed sleeping tablets and Prozac for him but Ms Popova said he may not have taken them.

They had been due to sit down as a family and go through their financial affairs on the day of his death, she told the coroner.

Coroner Dr Brian Farrell said that Mr Zorin’s injuries were self-inflicted.

A toxicology screen found no alcohol or medications in Mr Zorin’s blood when he died.

Dr Farrell said there were no suspicious circumstances involved in the death and returned a verdict that Mr Zorin took his own life.

Gareth Naughton