Death of man in fly-infested Tiverton house a mystery

The death of a man whose body was found in a fly-infested house will remain a mystery, a coroner has said.

Anthony Caddy's body was found "severely decomposed" in his home in Tiverton, Devon, about two months after he was last seen alive.

The 73-year-old was discovered on 10 June after a woman delivering magazines spotted flies in the window.

An inquest into the former plasterer's death heard that a post-mortem could not determine his cause of death.

Assistant coroner Lydia Brown said it was not possible to say how long he had been dead inside the property on Bampton Street.

There was no evidence of trauma or suspicious circumstances that could explain why he died.

Family members present at the hearing said a bank statement showed Mr Caddy's last withdrawal of his pension, which he did weekly, was on 23 April.

The inquest heard police had been unable to find anything inside the house, such as a calendar or milk in the fridge, to indicate when Mr Caddy was last alive.

Ms Brown recorded an open conclusion.

"I am absolutely aware that it leaves the time frame unascertained because I cannot with any certainty find any further information," she said.