A 32-year-old father of two suffocated after blocking his nostrils trying to stem a nosebleed while impaired by alcohol, an inquest has heard.
Antanas Kukuris, of Sutton Bridge, was found dead by wife Inga Kukuriene on November 18, 2019 having put gauzes into his nose to stem the blood flow.
The inquest into his death at Lincoln Coroner’s Court heard Mrs Kukuriene met her husband at school in Lithuania 17 years ago and they had come to the United Kingdom for work ten years ago.
He was working as an engineer in Huntingdon at the time of his death having previously worked at a factory in Sutton Bridge.
The hearing was told Mr Kukuris had a history of drinking as well as hypertension and suffering nosebleeds, particularly when he was trying to come off the drink.
Coroner Tim Brennand said: “His wife had been staying with friends for six to seven days prior to the discovery of the deceased due to his drinking.
“These drinking periods were not unusual, but this one was for an unusual period of time.
“Not surprisingly the family doesn’t like their children to see their father in that state so she vacates the property taking the children during these episodes.”
In evidence Mrs Kukuriene described seeing her husband in the morning in bed drinking water and shaking and saying he was going to sleep.
She returned at 8.30pm but the front door was bolted and she could see Mr Kukuris on the conservatory floor.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
A postmortem found the cause of death was asphyxiation and alcohol intoxication.
A toxicology report found alcohol levels “indicative of significant impairment and intoxication.”
Delivering a verdict of misadventure, Mr Brennand, said: “The sad and tragic story here is that this man was fit and well in every other respect with the exception of this very unforgettable alcoholic episodic binge drinking which has clearly played a role in this case.
“This is a very bizarre and tragic set of circumstances. The father of two children, a husband, someone who clearly from his work record was an economic migrant looking to improve and better himself within the United Kingdom.
“The deceased was a known alcoholic.
“Police secured evidence that he had suffered a severe nosebleed for which he had inserted gauzes into his nostrils before collapsing as a consequence of asphyxia while his cognitive levels were impaired by significant levels of alcohol.”
