Colette Aram murderer was 'depressed' before he died

Paul Hutchinson died in an ambulance on his way to hospital

An inquest has heard how the murderer of a Nottinghamshire schoolgirl became increasingly depressed before he died.

Paul Hutchinson, 52, of Gamston was jailed in January 2010 for murdering teenager Colette Aram in 1983.

He was found unconscious in his cell at Nottingham Prison with a high level of antidepressant medication in his blood in October 2010 and died shortly after.

His daughter, Hannah Hussein, said he became more and more depressed after his wife decided to divorce him.

DNA samples

Hutchinson abducted 16-year-old Colette Aram as she was walking to her boyfriend's house in Keyworth, bundling her into a stolen Ford Fiesta.

He sexually assaulted her then strangled her.

Hutchinson was not caught for 26 years, but he remained in the area and wrote anonymous letters to police about the case.

Police used DNA on samples taken from the scene to track him down. He pleaded guilty at Nottingham Crown Court in December 2009 and was later jailed for a minimum of 25 years.

He had been placed on suicide watch at Nottingham Prison before his death.

A prison nurse told the inquest in Nottingham that Hutchinson was getting his medication in seven-day box sets, but he had previously been caught hoarding dozens of pills in a sock.

Hutchinson's daughter told the inquest he had asked his wife to come and meet him in prison the day before he died, but she did not attend the meeting.

The inquest continues.