A FORMER Winchester student who died after stepping in front of a freight train had taken illicit drugs, an inquest heard.

Friends of Nigel Smith, 21, said his death on April 26 was 'completely out the blue' as the forklift operator was planning a ski season and travelling in the summer.

The former Peter Symonds and Andover College student died of multiple injuries after standing on the track at Finkley under bridge near Andover.

Toxicology tests, by Peter Streete at Hampshire Scientific Services, showed a recreational level of cocaine and a low level of paracetamol in his blood and urine.

Mr Smith's brother, Jonathan Smith, of Alton, said the news came as a shock as he seemed positive and the two had been regularly meeting up.

"He was very funny," he said.

"He had a sense of humour. He liked to wind people up.

"For me, when we got the call, I couldn't really believe it because since February we had been hanging out a lot. He was expressing his desire to move on in his education."

He added that his brother did not regularly take drugs and he only knew of two occasions when he had.

The two were planning to go to Oktoberfest in Germany and a short break to Europe.

The Winchester inquest on Monday also heard from train driver Mark Williams, who said he recorded the journey from Basingstoke to Eastleigh on his iPad because his daughter was also a train driver and wanted to see the route.

He said the journey went without incident until he saw Mr Smith, of Lime Walk in Andover, step onto the track.

"He calmly and deliberately stepped into the path of the train," he said.

"I could not believe what was happening. I sounded my horn hoping he would get away but he just stood facing me with his arms stretched out.

"There was nothing I could do."

The video footage was passed on the British Transport Police as evidence.

DC Gerry Griffin, of BTP's fatality investigation team, said he tried to check Mr Smith's phone but it was too damaged.

He seized his computer which showed at 5.30am on the morning of his death he downloaded a song called 'Something New'.

Anthony Ryan, of Tintagel Close, said two months before Mr Smith's death he received a video from his friend on Snapchat showing a moving train with the caption 'I might jump in front of that'.

"We didn't think anything of it until it happened," he said.

"We thought it was a joke."

Senior coroner for central Hampshire Grahame Short said it was a perplexing case and ruled a verdict of suicide.

He said: "I think the real question, and I don't think I can answer, is why he did this. He was 21-years-old, had a job, no financial worries it would seem, he had no history of depression or any other mental illness.

"He had taken some cocaine but I don't think that would explain why he did this or what was going on in his mind."