Man died 'while being restrained'

Kurt Howard had a drug habit and a number of criminal convictions

The jury at an inquest into the death of a man from Swansea has heard he died while being restrained by four members of staff at a psychiatric hospital.

Kurt Howard, 32, who had been detained under the Mental Health Act, died in 2002 at the city's Cefn Coed Hospital.

In the weeks before his death, Mr Howard claimed he was in the SAS, that he was a barrister and a gynaecologist, the inquest jury was told.

The coroner said a probe into the death had taken "a considerable time".

This was why the inquest was taking place six years after Mr Howard's death, added Swansea coroner Philip Rogers.

He told the jury Mr Howard began to suffer mental heath problems in 1991 and was treated on a number of occasions at Cefn Coed Hospital and elsewhere.

Kurt would say he was in the SAS and had been in the Far East where he had skinned people Gareth Pawan, social worker

He said Mr Howard also had a drug habit and a number of criminal convictions for which he was imprisoned.

Mr Rogers said he had been bailed to live at Cefn Coed on June 17 2002, after a court appearance for a public order offence.

He said Mr Howard was put on a ward for patients with challenging behaviour, but was sectioned after a few days when his mental health deteriorated.

The court heard that Mr Howard's father was also a patient there at that time.

"You will hear a considerable amount of detail of events from the time of Kurt's admission, a number of incidents involving Kurt in which he had to be restrained by members of staff at the hospital because of violent behaviour," Mr Rogers said.

"During one incident on Saturday 29 June 2002, Kurt died. This was while he was being restrained by four members of hospital staff."

Lots of properties

A statement by social worker Gareth Pawan, read to the court, said that in June 2002 "he was looking more dishevelled and his behaviour was more bizarre".

"Kurt would say he was in the SAS and had been in the Far East where he had skinned people.

"He stated he was a barrister, a gynaecologist and a health and safety officer."

Mr Pawan said Mr Howard, who was of no fixed abode, also claimed he owned lots of properties in Swansea.

He said he became concerned when he saw Mr Howard punch a police sergeant in the face while in custody on suspicion of possessing drugs, and spoke to a doctor at Cefn Coed Hospital about getting him being detained there.

Personality disorder

A statement from Mr Howard's mother, Margo Yorke, said her son was diagnosed with a personality disorder in 1992.

She said she and her husband, Robert Yorke, became so concerned about her son's cycle of behaviour that they wrote to the prime minister in 2001.

The letter was passed to the Welsh Assembly Government.

Mrs Yorke said she understood at that time that Cefn Coed Hospital would not take her son back.

The assembly government told her when he was next released from prison he would be encouraged to engage with mental health services.

The last time she spoke to her son was by telephone in January 2002 when he told her he was staying at a guest house in Cornwall.

Mrs Howard said her first husband, Kurt's father, was admitted to Cefn Coed Hospital after the breakdown of their marriage in 1982. He has since died.

The inquest continues.