The wife of James Nash has paid tribute to her husband at an inquest into his death.

Sarah Nash sustained minor injuries during the attack that led to James’s death three days later, at 3:52pm on August 8. The man who carried out the attack, Alex Sartain, died following a police chase shortly after the incident on August 5.

Sarah said her husband was “a kind and generous man” who “wanted to make the world a kinder place” by working with the community.

She made the comments at an inquest into James’s death on April 19 at Winchester Coroners’ Court. Sarah was invited by the coroner, Jason Pegg, to describe James to the court.

She said that he had started his life as a graphic designer in the aerospace industry, and subsequently became a project manager. During this time, James and Sarah met and fell in love.

Sarah said that in 2013, the couple “decided to have a life change” and made the move to Upper Enham. While Sarah worked as for the Science and Technology Facilities Council, specialising in satellite technology, James decided to reinvent himself as a children’s author and illustrator.

She said: “He tried a variety of things in terms of artwork until he found that cartoons gave him the greatest satisfaction, and generated a lot of interest.”

She continued: “He was inspired by everything around him, he loved to draw, he loved to create and he wanted to share that with people and that’s how he created his characters that went into his children’s books.”

Aside from his art, Sarah said James had “many and varied interests, mainly of a historical nature”. She said that he enjoyed archaeology and palaeontology, recalling treks they had taken in the UK.

“We would go walking throughout Britain and he would find pieces of worked flint or fossils others would have passed by,” she said.

Aside from his personal interests, James also joined Enham Parish Council, which Sarah said was due to his desire to help the community.

“He was a kind and generous man who wanted to help people and the community at large,” she said.

One of his main objectives was having speed indicator signs installed in Enham along the A343, to warn drivers who attempt to speed through the town. Sarah said that his drive to do this meant James “became known as somebody who would follow through and get things done.”

Following the inquest, the coroner ruled that James was unlawfully killed.