An aspiring racehorse trainer who 'killed himself with a shotgun' wrote a devastating letter to his family in which he said: 'I have lived the dream, but all good dreams come to an end.'
Talented teenager Tim Jones, 17, was found with fatal gunshot wounds by his mother Sally, 52, on May 23.
His father Simon, a senior NHS manager, revealed how he was in France for a couple of days when he received a text message from Tim which read: 'I'm sorry, dad.'
He later rang home and was stunned when a police officer answered the phone to be told that Tim, from Middleham in North Yorkshire, had died.
Mr Jones, 55, said the only signs of a change in his youngest son were that he had become irritable and short-tempered in the months leading up to his death.
Aspiring racehorse trainer Tim Jones (pictured) was found with fatal gunshot wounds by his mother Sally
He now thinks the teenager may have had doubts over whether he could make it as a professional racehorse trainer.
Tim had been working at the racing stables of trainer Micky Hammond in North Yorks., and was described as a 'key part' of the trainer's staff.
The teen was 'an unbelievably talented' rider and had been involved in racing since the age of 10.
Tim was also an accomplished eventer, competing in the British Eventing series and even qualified for Badminton Horse Trials this year.
Although a formal inquest has not been held, Mr Jones said his son was found with fatal shotgun wounds.
Mr Jones described his son as an 'ordinary, outward-going, fun-loving lad but told how his noticed a few changes in Tim in the last few months.
He said: 'The last few months he had become irritable and a little bit argumentative and that wasn't Tim. I kept saying to him "what's up, mate?" and he said "you won't understand".
'He was driven, he was one of these lads if he couldn't do something really, really well he didn't see the point in doing it.
Talented youngster Tim is pictured with his father Simon at Beeches Brook on Grand National day in 2018
'What that did was almost create a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy. Whatever he did he wanted to be up there with the best, particularly with the horses.
'It was almost as if he knew what he wanted to do but instantly he thought it was probably not achievable. Whether that was grumbling away or not I don't know.
'He left a note, Tim was many things but he wasn't a philosopher. He put on this note I have lived the dream, but all good dreams come to an end.
'I just wonder whether he's thought 'my dream of being a racehorse trainer, I'm not going to get there' and thought this was a good time to finish.
'I just wonder whether he felt this was as good as it was going to
