Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky was a 'broken man' after losing a multi-billion pound legal battle with Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich, his inquest has heard.
Mr Berezovsky, 67, was found dead by his bodyguard at his ex-wife’s luxury property in Ascot, Berkshire, on March 23 last year.
His death came months after his lengthy private litigation case with billionaire Mr Abramovich ended in defeat - costing him millions of pounds and altering his personality, the hearing was told.
Avi Navama, Mr Berezovsky’s bodyguard of six years, told the inquest at Windsor Guildhall that he was 'very low' and 'depressed' in the last four months of his life but seemed 'different' in the final two days before he died.
Speaking of when he last saw him, the night before he died, Mr Navama said: 'He looked at me with very low, tired eyes. Like he doesn’t know what to do.'
He said that later that night he collected Mr Berezovsky’s son, Gleb, from school and got a text from his boss thanking him, which he thought 'strange'.
Mr Navama’s wife, Zoe Watson, also described changes in Mr Berezovsky’s behaviour - saying
'he looked broken' and 'was having panic attacks and heart palpitations' after the case with Mr Abramovich.
However, Ms Besharova, Mr Berezovsky's former wife insisted she did not think the tycoon was going to end his own life.
Later, Michael Cotlick, Mr Berezovsky's legal adviser, said tycoon had spoken of suicide since October 2012 - but he had not taken him seriously. He also played down the impact the Ambramocivh trial had on the tycoon.
