A SUCCESSFUL businessman died after a fall left him unable to breathe, an inquest heard.

Laurence Cawley

A SUCCESSFUL businessman died after a fall left him unable to breathe, an inquest heard.

Clive Thomas was reported dead by his wife Jan at their home in Coddenham Road, Needham Market, in May last year.

An inquest into the 52-year-old's death held in Bury St Edmunds this morning heard how Mr Thomas, former managing director of Anglia Recruitment Group and chairman of the Suffolk branch of the Institute of Directors, was found lying at the bottom of the stairs.

A police investigation ruled out any suspicious circumstances, the inquest heard. The cause of death was postural asphyxia, which meant he was unable to breathe because of the way in which he was lying after his fall down the stairs.

A narrative verdict that Mr Thomas died from the consequences of a fall down the stairs was recorded by Greater Suffolk Coroner Dr Peter Dean.

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