A doting mother who 'wrapped her son in cotton wool' killed herself after she flew into a bout of extreme rage at learning he had been smoking cannabis.

Businesswoman Susan Underwood, 38, was so enraged at finding the drug in her garden shed, she grounded eldest child Brandon, 21, before having a violent confrontation with those who gave him the substance.

Last April when Mr Underwood asked if he could go out again only to stay out 45 minutes later than usual, his mother dragged a knife down her own arm before resting it on his shoulder when he came home, asking 'are you ready?'

Less than ten hours later Mr Underwood found her dead on the living room floor with notes of intent scattered around after taking a fatal overdose of prescription medication mixed with Jack Daniel's and cola.

An inquest heard divorcee Mrs Underwood, who ran a tattoo parlour in Padgate, Warrington, Cheshire, was said to dote on her two children but she split up with her partner over rows about her mollycoddling Mr Underwood. She had also been experiencing severe panic attacks after the setting up of her own business and had been prescribed a beta blocker and an anti-depressant drug.

Mr Underwood told the hearing in Warrington: 'About two weeks before she died she found out I was involved with the wrong kind of people and smoking. She confronted me about it and I told her the truth.