A devoted mother-of-three killed herself in a horrific car blaze at a Hampshire beauty spot because she feared she was a failure as a parent.

Pauline Carpenter (36), from Bishop's Waltham, died from burns and shock after setting light to herself in her car while parked at Farley Mount Country Park, near Winchester.

An inquest, held in Winchester on Wednesday, was told how the mum had had difficulty looking after her young children on the first day alone with them in the Easter holidays.

Her husband, Richard, returned to their home in Winchester Road on Monday, April 9th, to find the three youngsters--eight-year-old Lucy, Edward, six, and Rosie, two--had been playing up.

Mrs Carpenter said she had to go off to be by herself for a couple of hours and the children sat down to write letters of apology to their mum. But at 7.30pm she was found in her fume-filled car by a passer-by at the country park--a courting spot for the Carpenters when dating years before.

The hearing held in Winchester heard how Mrs Carpenter had been a caring parent and a loving wife but lacked confidence.

Almost 12 years earlier, she had taken an overdose of paracetamol following a road traffic accident. Mr Carpenter said of her self-doubt: "I kept saying to her how good she was. I tried to convince her that she was.

"She would say to me that she had done nothing but shout at the children all day."

After her death, police found a handwritten note in Mrs Carpenter's rucksack that began: "I am a stupid, stupid woman...".

Returning a verdict of suicide, assistant coroner, Simon Burge, said: "She felt she was a failure and that the family would be better off without her. That was the clear message of the note.

"This was a deliberate act by Pauline Carpenter, but one which was not premeditated. It was an impulsive gesture."

Mr Carpenter declined to comment after the hearing but Dc Frances Payne, who investigated the incident, said on his behalf: "This is a tragic loss that has left three children without their mother. The family now need time and privacy to rebuild their lives."