A Royal Marine commando found hanged at his home was arrested for assaulting his girlfriend two days before his death an inquest heard.

Dylan Kemp, 28, was discovered dead in his flat when police broke into his home on Nottingham Road, south Croydon, on September 21, 2009.

Croydon Coroner’s Court heard how Marine Kemp had struggled to deal with the ordeals of being in Afghanistan, shown in his Facebook messages to his girlfriend Philippa Roscoe.

Two months after the 28-year-old started his tour in Afghanistan, he sent Miss Roscoe a message in which he said: "I am ill, feel sick and am crying my eyes out. Two of my friends have died and I am thousands of miles from you in this hell of a place."

The court heard in a message sent December 13, 2009, Marine Kemp wrote: "I'm not too good to be honest, but not much we can do about it from here."

In a separate message on January 22, 2009, he told Miss Roscoe he needed to hear her tell him she loved him, adding:"Being out here is hell, doing and seeing the things I am breaks men."

Giving evidence at the inquest into his death, Miss Roscoe told the court Marine Kemp had come home drunk after drinking with friends after work on September 18, 2009.

She said: “I was expecting him home about 6.30 to 7pm. I tried not to call him. I did not want to be a bunny boiler but I called him about 9pm to find out what was happening.

“He did not answer so I had a bath and went to bed.”

The court heard later that night he returned to the flat but an altercation began as the couple lay in bed.

Miss Roscoe noticed lip gloss on his lower lip and chin just as he received a text from his ex-girlfriend thanking him for the evening.

“I stood up and stepped backwards. I said: ‘Go get out what have you done?’ His face changed. He was snarling, he came at me so quickly and held my throat.

“He started banging my head into the mirror then he put me into a headlock and pushed my face into his stomach.”

The inquest continues.