A “devoted” elderly couple jumped to their deaths from cliffs near Whitby Abbey as one of them suffered with deteriorating health, an inquest heard.

David and Susan Jeffcock had sent a letter to their solicitor confirming they intended to end their lives before they were found on rocks at the base of East Cliff, in Whitby, on July 30.

An inquest in Northallerton heard Mr Jeffcock, 80, and Mrs Jeffcock, 74, had moved to the North Yorkshire seaside town after they retired.

Northallerton Coroners' Court (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

Mr Jeffcock’s nephew Kevin Shepherd said his uncle had bone cancer and must have decided to kill himself because he was in pain, with Susan following him.

In a statement read at the inquest, Mr Shepherd said: “I was shocked to hear of their passing and in such circ

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