A 70-YEAR-OLD man from Grange-over-Sands was found dead sitting near his swimming pool with a plastic bag over his head attached to the gas mains, an inquest heard.

But Furness coroner Ian Smith could not record a verdict of suicide because even though he said Brian Smith died "as a consequence of his own actions" because there was no evidence to prove what his intentions were.

Mr Smith's wife, Kathleen, of Charney Road, told the inquest in Barrow Town Hall that her husband had suffered from depression and that she had forced him to get medical help.

"He could become very withdrawn at times but then he would snap out of it and he would be fine for weeks," she said. Mrs Smith explained that the day before her husband's death, she had gone away for the night but that she had spoken to him at night and said "he seemed absolutely fine."

But on Monday, August 5, when she returned she found her husband in a deck chair near the swimming pool, which he had built in their back garden, with a plastic bag over his head. A hosepipe leading from the gas supply in the nearby boiler room was also attached to the bag.

Pathologist at Furness General Hospital Wendy Blundell said Mr Smith had died of sudden cardiac arrhythmia heart disease, which was brought on by him inhaling the gas.

Mrs Blundell explained that the postmortem also revealed Mr Smith had had natural heart disease.

January 16, 2003 13:01