Drunk man choked to death on a baguette after a row with his girlfriend

A man choked himself to death by stuffing a baguette into his mouth as his horrified girlfriend watched helplessly on. Craig Short, 52, shoved the sandwich so far down his throat a paramedic had to use forceps to remove it.

An inquest heard he was furious after a row with 56-year-old partner Jacqueline Boyd over his drinking. Jacqueline, who had been in an on-off relationship with Craig for six years, said: “All I can remember is a big carving knife with bread and pate.

“He was stuffing it into his mouth. It got lodged as he had not chewed it.” She said Craig had been “quite angry” because he could not have another drink.



Friends frantically slapped him on the back but he never regained consciousness despite paramedics’ efforts to revive him. Police had to clear the living room where guests continued to drink around the dead body, Teesside coroner’s court heard.

Guest David Fleet said: “He was like a caveman. I think it was to wind Jackie up.” Mr Short, who was on long-term sick leave, had been drinking with friends before returning to his partner’s house in Middlesbrough.

A postmortem revealed he was three times over the drink-drive limit but died from asphyxia. Assistant Deputy Coroner Sam Foulks said: “He intended to eat the bread in an exaggerated fashion but it had an unintentional consequence.” Verdict: Misadventure