A troubled love affair between two people from different cultures ended in tragedy when a 28-year-old man felt he could not live without the woman he wanted to be his wife, an inquest was told.

Jetender Kumar Patrai hanged himself at his home after Zara Akhtar told him she could not go through with their marriage.

She told him that her parents were concerned about their cultural and religious differences.

In a statement read to the Bradford hearing, Miss Akhtar told how she met Mr Patrai more than three years ago and the pair became friends.

They lived together from time to time in Keighley and made plans to get married.

But because she was a Muslim and Mr Patrai a Sikh, both sets of parents were concerned about them getting married.

She said: "These cultural differences led to intermittent separations and difficulties.

"Because the marriage which he hoped for was postponed, he suffered from time to time with depression.

"He was given medication because of that condition.''

The inquest was told that the young couple still made plans to be together and fixed a date to get married.

But on the day of the marriage, Miss Akhtar felt she could not go through with it.

When they spoke for the last time -- three days before his death last June -- Mr Patrai told her that he was so distressed that he had considered the possibility of ending his life.

Talvinder Patrai said in a statement that his brother had talked about the difficulties which arose out of the couple's different cultural backgrounds and religions.

He added that his brother had been upset that Miss Akhtar could not get back together with him at that time.

A post-mortem examination revealed that Mr Patrai, of Wellington Street, Laisterdyke, Bradford, died from asphyxia due to hanging.

He was found hanging from a piece of rope attached to a bannister.

Assistant deputy coroner James Turnbull said that Mr Patrai could not go on without Miss Akhtar being his wife and was determined to carry out his threat.

Recording a verdict that Mr Patrai took his own life, he said: "It's very sad and poignant.

"One has to feel that if he could have got over that disappointment he had a good life before him.''