FORMULA 1 boss Max Mosley “shot himself in the head with a shotgun” after learning he had terminal cancer, an inquest has heard.
The 81-year-old was found dead with “significant injuries consistent with a gunshot wound” in May last year.
Today Westminster Coroner’s Court heard that he was told he had just “weeks” to live, and that chronic bladder and bowel pain would only lessen with palliative care but could not be cured.
On May 24, 2021, cops found Mosley on his bed with a shotgun after a note was discovered nailed to his bedroom door reading: “Do not enter, call the police”.
Officers discovered the body of Mr Mosley lying on his blood-splattered bed with a double-barreled shotgun between his knees.
A suicide note found on his bedside table was barely legible, due to the large amounts of blood, but the few words officers could make out were ‘I had no choice’, Westminster Coroner’s Court heard.
The coroner said: “It was obvious he had used the shotgun to himself and endured a life-ending injury. It’s clear he had injuries not compatible with life.”
Dr Rasha Al-Quarainy, a consultant in palliative care from the Central and North West London NHS Trust said Mosley’s B-cell Lymphoma was “inoperable”.
He had been referred to her the month before his death.
She said he was “very talkative and engaging” and had not mentioned any suicidal thoughts.
She explained: “On the contrary he said that he had plans to renovate their home in Gloucestershire that wasn’t going to be finished until July.
“He was still seeking treatment possibly in the US, possibly in the UK, and some other matters he spoke to me about.”
However, Dr Christopher McNamara, a consultant haematologist who had been treating Mosley since 2019 said they had spoke on the topic.
He said: “He emailed me on 22 May 2021, these were questions about the management of the condition. He had accepted this would not be cured.
“He was extremely upset as his quality of life was poor and left him uncomfortable.
“He had expressed ideas of committing suicide to myself and other members of the team previously.
“He never expressed a plan of doing this and all he said was that the problem was his wife would not accept this.”
‘NOTE COVERED IN BLOOD’
Detective Constable Ben Benlounes told the court of discovering Mosley at his Kensington home.
He said: “On the chest of drawers there was a suicide note covered in blood, but I could read ‘I feel I have no choice.”
The millionaire, whose Hitler sympathiser dad Oswald led the British fascist movement, was famously filmed at a sadomasochistic orgy with prostitutes.
Mosley dedicated his life waging war against the press after the News of the World revealed in 2008 he took part in the sex party.
A five-hour recording of the orgy showed the tycoon surrounded by prostitutes in military gear performing sadistic acts.
But a judge ruled in favour of Mosley there was no Nazi element to the orgy, as the newspaper had claimed, and that the story was not in the public interest.
He decided that although the young women “victims” wore striped pyjamas they were not necessarily Nazi-related clothes.
This led Mosley to pump millions of pounds into anti-press campaigns as part of his crusade against newspapers.
He bankrolled a new press regulator, Impress, and launched a bid to gag the press from ever speaking about his orgy.
Mosley was also president of Formula One and other international motorsports in his role at the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA).
