Chloroform death during sex act

A delivery driver died from inhaling chloroform through a Soviet bio-war mask, an inquest at Newport has heard.

Christopher Harris, 47, from Newport, practised a dominant and submissive sex relationship which involved pain.

He was found by his friend Debra Keylock alone in his bed "stiff and ice-cold" and still wearing the mask.

The coroner said Mr Harris enjoyed what many considered deviant sexual practices. A misadventure verdict was recorded.

The inquest heard that the father-of-three practised "breath play" which involved breath deprivation and the restriction of air with Ms Keylock, whom he met regularly.

But Ms Keylock gave evidence to the inquest that Mr Harris sometimes practised this alone against her wishes.

He also discussed buying chloroform which she did not like, the inquest heard.

Face mask

When she found him dead in October 2007, he was wearing the mask which was attached by tubes to a breathing bottle and a breather bag.

Ms Keylock said Mr Harris's fetish was to take pain and he would take breath play "not quite to the last breath".

The hoods and masks they used had an emergency release mechanism on them which meant it would only take half a second to release them, the inquest heard.

Det Con Carl Smith told the inquest that a number of items had been seized and the scene of Mr Harris's death examined but there was no evidence of any third-party involvement or foul play.

In a statement read to the hearing, pathologist Dr Andrew Davison said Mr Harris had died as a result of the inhalation of chloroform through a face mask.

There was no evidence of any external injury, he said.

Coronor David Bowen said: "I am satisfied there was no third-party involvement. He had threatened to experiment with chloroform in the past and I am satisfied he died when the experiment went tragically wrong."