Retired electrician found dead above Finsbury Park pub

A retired electrician who lived above a pub in Finsbury Park was found dead in his flat by concerned bar staff.

Peter Croal, 68, was discovered unconscious and slumped in a chair inside his flat above The Blackstock pub in Seven Sisters Road on February 13.

An inquest held at St Pancras Coroner’s Court on Tuesday heard how Mr Croal, who was originally form Glasgow, had moved to London 20 years ago for work.

He was diagnosed with cellulitis in his leg - an infection of the deeper layers of the skin - and had become less and less mobile.

A post-mortem examination showed the cause of death to be a pulmonary embolism caused by deep vein thrombosis.

It also revealed that Mr Croal, who contracted military tuberculosis in the 1950s, also suffered from an asbestos related disease, though these did not contribute to his death.

Witness statements read out at St Pancras Coroner’s Court said bar staff had gone into Mr Croal’s flat after he had not been seen by customers in several days.

On entering, they found him slumped in a chair and his skin was “cold” to touch.

Paramedics were called and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Assistant coroner at St Pancras Coroner’s Court ruled that Mr Croal died from natural causes.