Wigan Observer GP columnist Dr Zak died when he fell from a cliff, a coroner hears

But how Zakariya Waqar-Uddin – known to all as Dr Zak – came to be fatally injured is unlikely ever to be explained.

The 44-year-old GP had provided a weekly column to the paper – and many other publications around the country – for several years when he was reported missing last spring.

He was born and lived in Euxton, Chorley, and had been last seen there on May 12. His concerned family reported him missing and this sparked a major police search and a public appeal to help track him down.

The focus of it turned to Teesside, where a flat of his was up for sale, and his Volkswagen Touran was found abandoned.

And Teesside Coroner’s Court heard that on May 21 coastguards found his body at the foot of Huntcliff in the North Yorkshire coastal village of Saltburn.

A pathologist told the court that Dr Zak had died from multiple injuries due to a fall from a height.

It was reported that he had previously suffered from stress after the breakdown of his marriage and his GP partnership was dissolved.

But his last medical appointment was with a dermatologist two months before his death and no mental health concerns had been raised then, the hearing was told.

The father of one, whose other medical postings during his career included Standish Medical Practice, was described by his mother Patricia as the “best son any parent could hope for,” and his former partner Laura Jane Dunning said she hoped that Zak had found peace and thanked him for the many happy times they had shared.

Mrs Waqar-Uddin said her son had not been agitated when he left home and she did not believe that he intended to take his own life.

Coroner Clare Bailey recorded a narrative conclusion, which read: “Dr Zak was found dead at the bottom of Huntcliff in Saltburn on May 21. It is not known how or when he exited the top of Huntcliff.”

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