A MAN who died on the railway was failed by both the healthcare system's lack of support and his own fears of financial exploitation by a private carer, an inquest heard.

Thomas Elliman, 60, of Wool Grove, Andover, was struck by a South Western Railway train at 1.12am on August 15.

An inquest at Winchester Coroner's Court, held in May, heard testimonies from witnesses, including Mr Elliman's brother Robert, who revealed that in the final days of his life, Mr Elliman had lived in fear of financial exploitation by a private carer.

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They said that Mr Elliman, a deeply private individual, had formed a positive rapport with his carer, placing his trust in her. However, in the days leading up to his death, he grew apprehensive and expressed his concerns. 

Coroner Christopher Wilkinson said: “There were some attempts from people to show that he wasn’t being financially abused. But I believe Thomas didn’t take that on board. I am also not convinced he was not financially abused. That was something potentially happening.”

The coroner heard from Mr Elliman's GP and a charity worker, who said he had been awaiting an official autism diagnosis but had been let down by the system due to appointment cancellations and extensive waiting times.

Dr Beverley Scowen of Adelaide Medical Centre told the court that Mr Elliman encountered "significant difficulties in expressing his emotions and anxieties," which greatly impacted his daily life. 

“It was a massive disability to him. And I see this over and over in the NHS that people with autism are let down by the system because they are deemed not to have a significant mental health disorder,” she said. 

SEE MORE: Inquest opens into death of man 'struck by train' on railway near Andover

Victoria Rist, founder of the Koala Community Hub, who had frequent interactions with Mr Elliman in his final years, also said he had been awaiting an autism diagnosis. 

British Transport Police's investigating officer, Katie Trevor, presented said Mr Elliman had encountered several crises, particularly in the days before his death, often at supermarkets and at Andover fire station.

On the day preceding his passing, he visited a church in Andover, confiding in a vicar about his concerns regarding financial abuse. The vicar spoke with him and even accompanied him to a supermarket to demonstrate that his bank card was still functional.

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Later, Mr Elliman fuelled his car with an amount exceeding £50 and made purchases worth over £100 at Tesco.

Subsequently, he checked into a room at the Premier Inn in Andover around 4.20pm. However, he left the room prior to 9pm and walked to Grateley. His vehicle was parked near the Premier Inn, and the last known CCTV sighting of him was at 9.26pm.

The events between that sighting and his death remain unknown.

After his carer lodged a missing person's complaint, authorities identified Mr Elliman through his fingerprints, obtained from a Pyrex dish at his home.

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