Brian Phillips inquest: Cause of death impossible to ascertain as body was so badly decomposed

A MAN who died alone in his home was found so badly decomposed it was impossible to work out the cause of death, an inquest heard.

Brian Phillips (77) was discovered by police lying on his back in the hallway of his house, the Old Post Office, Lymington Road, East End, on 5th November last year.

They had been called by worried neighbours who had moved in next door two weeks before and had noticed no movement at the house.

They had knocked on Mr Phillips' door and noticed flies at the window so called the police.

Officers found the front door was locked from the inside and no sign of intrusion at the house, which Winchester Coroner's Court heard was “in a poor state and cluttered".

Documents inside the home were used to identify Mr Phillips, said area coroner Rosamund Rhodes-Kemp, as no next of kin could be traced.

Police investigations with neighbours had revealed that Mr Phillips “kept himself to himself”, she added. He sometimes rode a bike but had not been seen recently.

Victoria Tilbury, who used to work for Mr Phillips, said his sister died in 2018 and that he had always lived on his own. She added that he “did not enjoy conversation”.

A post-mortem examination revealed that the advanced state of decomposition meant Mr Phillips' organs were no longer intact. Toxicology tests proved inconclusive.

As a result, a cause of death was not able to be ascertained, said Mrs Rhodes-Kemp.

A statement from the GP surgery where Mr Phillips was registered said he had never attended and they had no medical records for him.

Summing up, Mrs Rhodes-Kemp said it was “sad when someone dies on their own”. She recorded an open verdict.