THE body of an Aberporth pensioner was found in his garden around three weeks after he died, an inquest has heard.

Samuel Gwynfor Clodryd Jones was found in the garden of his home on Tresaith Road on 24 July by next-door neighbour Sandra Davies.

An inquest at Aberystwyth heard that the 79-year-old bachelor had not been seen for three weeks when his body was discovered.

Mrs Davies told the inquest that “alarm bells started ringing” after a visit from Mr Jones’ second cousin William Elgan Howells. They retrieved a spare key for Mr Jones’ home and “searched from room to room”, Mrs Davies told the inquest.

“There was no one in the house so we went out into the garden,” Mrs Davies said. “At the top of the garden I found him lying face down.”

Ceredigion coroner Peter Brunton said that it was a “reasonable inference” that Mr Jones died on 4 July after hearing from Pc Andrew Marwick that entries in a diary found at the property stopped after that date.

Mr Brunton told the inquest: “Because of the time the body had been lying in the garden, the evidence is scant.

“What evidence there is leads me to believe that he must have fallen in the garden on 4 July and died.”

Mr Brunton recorded a verdict of death by natural causes, but the cause of death was listed as unascertained.

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