Man lay dead at home for 41 days until he was found by neighbour

Man lay dead at home for 41 days until he was found by neighbour Police had not been able to attend despite being called to the property A man found dead in his home is believed to have been there for 41 days before he was discovered, an inquest has heard. The body of Timothy Morton, 66, was discovered at a property in North Wootton, Norfolk on June 28, an inquest held at Norfolk Coroner’s Court in Norwich heard. Police had been called to Mr Morton’s home at around 8pm that evening, following concerns for his safety. He had not been seen for a while, and flies had been spotted at the house’s windows. However an urgent incident came in elsewhere, meaning officers were unable to attend straight away. A neighbour gained access to Mr Morton’s home instead, where he was found dead. An officer, who later arrived on scene at 9pm, said the body was in “advanced decomposition”, and, based on entries in a glucose diary kept consistently by Mr Morton for his diabetes and his state, believes he likely died on May 18 - 41 days prior. A post-mortem examiner said that the inspection was “hampered” by the decomposition and there was “insufficient evidence to give a definitive cause of death”. However, they confirmed that no third parties were involved. Area coroner Maeve Sykes ruled his cause of death as “unascertained”. Mr Morton was described by friends and family as “football through and through”, often travelling across the country to watch King’s Lynn Town play. A statement from his younger brother Adrian Morton explained that in 2005, he was involved in a serious motorcycle crash which caused him many health issues in his later life. After their parents died, Mr Morton left work as a base station engineer with Ericsson Telecommunications in 2010, and never returned. It was said that the condition of his home became “extremely poor”, with significant hygiene and maintenance issues, and during a visit earlier this year, when Adrian came to replace his brother’s TV, there was rotten food, dirt and clutter throughout the house. Despite numerous attempts from friends and family to clean the home up in between Mr Morton’s hospital stays, it returned to a poor state. Upon hearing about Mr Morton’s death, fans held a round of applause in his memory. A tribute, posted on social media by his nephew Connor Morton, read: “Despite everything he went through, Tim will be remembered for his love of football, his determination, and the many memories he shared with family and friends. Rest easy, Uncle Tim. You’ll be sadly missed - but never forgotten.”