A YOUNG man described by his mother as a lovely lad with such a lot to a live for has taken his own life.

Robert Kemsley, 24, was found at Ridham Dock at Iwade, near Sittingbourne, on Monday morning after apparently committing suicide in his mother's car.

In the car was a note for his family and girlfriend saying how much he loved them. His mother, Ann, of Marine Parade, Sheerness, said: "He was really low and depressed with everything. I don't think he could see a way out. He was a much-loved lad. He needn't have done that."

Mr Kemsley, also of Marine Parade, Sheerness, was suffering from depression and owed money. He also had health problems with a suspected cyst on the brain.

On Sunday his girlfriend of five years, Katherine Bishop, had moved out of the flat they shared because they had been having problems.

Miss Bishop, 20, a former pupil at Highsted Grammar School, Sittingbourne, said: "As soon as he was told not to work he started to feel sorry for himself. It got to the point where everything he did he was being knocked down.

"He just wanted to make everyone happy and we were all going on at him about getting a job. He was so protective of everyone and wouldn't hurt anybody. He was very proud and didn't want anyone to think he couldn't cope."

Mr Kemsley, a former Minster College student, was a keen angler and had been working for a double glazing company. Mr Kemsley had recently given blood after being moved by a television documentary about a girl in need of a bone marrow transplant.

Miss Bishop said: "He was a bit of a tearaway when he was younger. He wanted to give something back and help somebody."

He leaves behind mother and father, Ann and Bob, and brothers Malcolm, 20, and Ashley, 18. He also had two black cats and adored his three-year-old niece Keanna, who he visited on Sunday before he died.

Funeral details have not yet been confirmed, but donations will be made to a bone marrow charity.

Police are to submit a report to the coroner before an inquest is held.