Man with heart defect died as he watched porn

A devastated mum who discovered her son's body at their family home heard he died from a heart attack while watching a porn film.

An inquest at Woking Coroners' Court was told that Chris Nicholls, 23, of London Road, West Croydon, suffered a cardiac arrest on June 10.

Chris was born with a heart abnormality and died just weeks after open-heart surgery at the Royal Brompton Hospital, London, following a heart attack he suffered in April.



Mother Clare Else told pathologist Dr Mary Sheppard, who examined Chris's heart after he died: "Christopher was watching a blue movie when I found him. I said to my husband 'I know what's happened. It's got to be a rush of adrenaline because he's got excited'."

Then, Mrs Else asked Dr Sheppard: "Could that have caused cardiac arrest?" Dr Sheppard replied: "Any kind of excessive stress or excitement could have brought on the ventricular fibrillation arrhythmia [serious erratic heartbeat]. So, yes, that could have been a factor."

Verdict: Natural causes.