A banker who threw himself in front of a 75mph train at Wimbledon station had consumed the equivalent of 15 pints of lager, an inquest heard.

Carl Pereira, of Grove Road, was killed instantly when he “launched himself” from platform seven at the oncoming train on April 3.

The inquest at Westminster Coroner’s Court on Tuesday came just weeks after another man, also 30, was decapitated by a train travelling through the same station.

Mr Pereira worked for Allied Irish Bank in the City and had been working particularly hard in the weeks building up to his death, putting in 24-hour shifts at times, but was not overly stressed, according to his wife.

The day before his death, on April 2, many bankers were given a day off because of the forthcoming G20 protests.

The following day he called in sick with a headache, although arranged to have dinner with his wife later that evening, the inquest heard.

The 30-year-old was next seen by off-duty policeman Paul Sefton who noticed him standing near the platform edge.

PC Sefton added he did not think Mr Pereira was drunk.

The driver of the train, Mike Cullen, said he saw Mr Pereira on the platform before the banker crouched, ran and launched himself at the train.

A postmortem examination revealed he was eight times the legal drink-driving limit, although his wife confirmed he was not a heavy or regular drinker.

Dr Shirley Radcliffe told the court alcohol levels of only three times the drink-driving limit can lead to death.

She said: “In my opinion there was no way he was thinking clearly.

"I therefore record an open verdict because of the lack of evidence supporting a suicide or an accident.

“It is one of the most difficult inquests I have seen in terms of reaching a verdict.”