A MARRIED Port Talbot bank manager, arrested for alleged child pornography offences, jumped in front of a 125mph express train to kill himself, a coroner heard.

Philip Rosser sprinted across the platform and leapt into the path of the oncoming inter-city service at Slough Station, an inquest was told.

The 40-year-old Lloyds TSB local director was on police bail at the time, having been questioned just six days earlier for possessing indecent images of children.

A coroner heard how Rosser, of Darren Wen, Baglan, had researched suicide and train travel before he died in the incident hundreds of miles from his home. He had also been reported missing to police by his family.

In a statement to police, train driver Gary Dowling explained how the horrific incident unfolded as he approached Slough, Berkshire, at the controls of the 3.26pm First Great Western Paignton (Devon) to London Paddington Service.

He said: "The train was travelling at 125mph. I was aware of one or two people on the platform. As I passed the station buildings I saw a person sprinting fast across the platform. For a second I lost sight of them but the next thing I saw was the same person in full flight.

"He landed, upright, on the track and took a stance as two people might do to fight each other."

Mr Dowling hit the brakes as soon as he saw the man running towards the platform edge, but at the speed he was going he admitted "there was nothing I could do."

He said he heard and felt the impact as the train smashed into Rosser.

He brought the train to a controlled halt and radioed his control room, who contacted British Transport Police (BTP). Rosser was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.

Police officers in Port Talbot were contacted following Rosser's death on September 27 last year and went to his home inform his family and to gather information.

BTP liaison officer Gary Mathias told the inquest Mr Rosser had been on police bail at the time of his death. He said officers were aware Mr Rosser had visited a website in relation to suicides.

"He had also visited a site in relation to train travel," he said.

Mr Mathias told the coroner that police efforts to speak with Mr Rosser's family to obtain background information on him had proved "unsuccessful", so nothing conclusive was known of his medical history. It was known his mother had died 18 months earlier, which had greatly upset him.

Pathologist Dr Robert Chapman said: "The cause of death is multiple injuries consistent with being struck by a train."

Police said Mr Rosser had been arrested on September 21 on suspicion of possessing indecent images of children and was released on police bail as investigations continued.

Berkshire coroner Peter Bedford recorded a verdict of suicide. Mr Rosser's family were not at the hearing in Windsor, Berkshire.