Three hours before a retiree leapt to his death, he went to the bank and donated $32,000 to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).

An animal lover, Mr Alan Kuah Teng Chin also left a suicide note, enclosing $1,500 cash for a sea burial, a coroner's inquiry heard on Thursday.

The 70-year-old who suffered from a host of medical problems, including eczema, was found at the foot of Block 333 Ubi Avenue 1 where he lived on Aug 14.

His wife, Madam Chew Oon Joo, 52, last saw him leave the flat at around 9am. She told police that he kept looking down from the window ledge from one angle to another. Two hours later, he was back.

In his investigation report, Senior Station Inspector Nah Kim Hong from Bedok Police Division HQ stated that Madam Chew was leaving home at 1.05pm that day for an appointment at KK Women's and Chiddren's Hospital when she saw a police cordon at the void deck.

Feeling uneasy, she returned to the flat but could not find her husband.

On checking, she found a plastic bag in his drawer. Inside was a suicide note dated Aug 14, $1,500 in cash for a sea burial and his POSBank book showing he had made a $32,000 cashier's order for the SPCA.

Besides the skin problem which he had been suffering from for over four years, he also had hypertension and a right ear infection.

The Straits Times understands that the family has two dogs.

State Coroner Ronald Gwee recorded a suicide verdict on his death.