A coroner was unable to conclude how a young man died at his home in Deal.

The body of Stephen Pook, 26, was last seen by his local shop keeper a month before he was found.

He was found in a decomposed state which meant that a post mortem examination could not confirm the cause of death.

Assistant coroner James Dillon could only give an open verdict at an inquest and said: “Decomposition has inhibited any conclusion as to the medical cause of death.

“It is a matter of sadness when a coroner cannot offer any further answers to the family.”

The body’s condition meant no samples could be taken for toxicology tests, for example to check if alcohol or drugs contributed to the death.

There was no evidence as to whether Mr Pook suffered from a medical episode.

Cause of death was classed by the pathologist as unascertained but third party involvement was ruled out.

“It is a matter of sadness when a coroner cannot offer any further answers to the family.”

Mr Pook was found dead in his bed at his two-storey flat in Church Lane on August 27 this year.

The body could be seen inside from an upstairs window by a PCSO and police and firefighters forced entry into the property.

Mr Pook had to be identified through dental records. It also could not be confirmed exactly when he died, the inquest at the Archbishop’s Palace in Maidstone was told.

But Mr Dillon believed he passed away exactly where he was found, probably in his sleep.

Mr Pook had visited his local corner shop every day but stopped turning up in July and fears increased for his safety.

He suffered mental health problems and was not responding to contact from doctors and specialists.

A statement from his GP at Pencester Surgery in Dover said that Mr Pook had been diagnosed as having paranoid schizophrenia.

In 2015 he was detained under Section 3 of the Mental Health Act. A mental health team visited him in August 2018 but he insisted he had no thoughts of self-harm

The inquest heard Mr Pook disengaged from the mental health services saying he could look after himself.

His mother Gemma Burt-Davies, in a statement to the court, stressed that he could not cope alone.

For example he had a poor diet and needed vitamin supplements as he did not eat vegetables. She said he had also been diagnosed as autistic.

Ms Burt-Davies said her son, a single, unemployed man, at times fell out with his family. She told the inquest that she had not had contact with Mr Pook since Christmas 2017 and his father had last seen him in August or September 2018.

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