A PARANOID schizophrenic died after trying to swallow the portable mini speaker of an MP3 player, an inquest heard.

Paul Spencer, who had been sectioned under the mental health act and was living at the John Munroe Hospital in Rudyard, near Leek, died on April 27 – two days after his 36th birthday.

He was found in his room by agency carer Amanda Bratt, who raised the alarm and tried to save him with CPR.

Mr Spencer was later pronounced dead by paramedics.

Mr Spencer's mother, Jeanette Evans, of Burton-on-Trent, told the inquest at Hartshill yesterday that her son's mental health problems had been sparked after he started smoking cannabis.

She said: "I really feel that the drugs started it. I think he had a predisposition and the drugs brought that out in his personality. I saw quite a change in him."

The inquest at North Staffordshire Coroner's Court heard that healthcare worker Amanda Gallacher had checked on Mr Spencer in his room a short time before he was found by Miss Bratt.

He was discovered sitting in his chair by the window and his face and body had turned blue.

Miss Bratt said: "He was slumped in his chair. His left hand was close to the floor and I noticed it was blue. So I pulled my alarm and walked round to the side of him.

"I checked for a pulse and noticed he had something really hard in his throat."

Other staff members came to her aid and staff nurse Caroline Stockley removed the blockage from his throat – the portable mini speaker of an MP3 player.

Pathologist Victoria Smith carried out a postmortem examination on Mr Spencer's body.

She discovered he had swallowed two AAA batteries, the wrappers from two Sherbert Fountain sweets and some silicone tubing.

These items were still in his stomach and according to Dr Smith, had been ingested a few hours earlier.

Dr Smith said the cause of death was asphyxia due to an obstruction of the airway by a foreign body and schizophrenia.

Coroner Ian Smith recorded an open verdict.

He said: "Mr Spencer had a history of paranoid schizophrenia and was sectioned under the mental health act.

"A portable mini speaker for an MP3 player was obstructing his airway.

"I'm troubled by why he did what he did and I find it very difficult, if not impossible, to put myself into Paul's mind.

"Was he trying to harm himself, was he experimenting or was he just messing around?"

"I just do not understand what he was doing."