Timothy Morton, 66, was found dead at his home in North Wootton, Norfolk, on June 28, an inquest at Norfolk Coroner’s Court in Norwich heard. He is believed to have lain there for 41 days before being discovered.
Police unable to attend initially
Police were called to Mr Morton’s home at around 8pm that evening over concerns for his safety. He had not been seen for a while, and flies had been spotted at the house’s windows. However, an urgent incident came in elsewhere, meaning officers were unable to attend straight away.
A neighbour gained access to Mr Morton’s home instead, where he was found dead. An officer who arrived on the scene at 9pm said the body was in “advanced decomposition”. Based on entries in a glucose diary kept consistently by Mr Morton for his diabetes and his state, the officer believes he likely died on May 18 — 41 days prior.
Cause of death unascertained
A post-mortem examiner said the inspection was “hampered” by the decomposition and there was “insufficient evidence to give a definitive cause of death”. However, they confirmed that no third parties were involved. Area coroner Maeve Sykes ruled his cause of death as “unascertained”.
Mr Morton was described by friends and family as “football through and through”, often travelling across the country to watch King’s Lynn Town play. A statement from his younger brother Adrian Morton explained that in 2005, he was involved in a serious motorcycle crash which caused him many health issues in his later life.
Home fell into poor condition
After their parents died, Mr Morton left work as a base station engineer with Ericsson Telecommunications in 2010 and never returned. It was said that the condition of his home became “extremely poor”, with significant hygiene and maintenance issues. During a visit earlier this year, when Adrian came to replace his brother’s TV, there was rotten food, dirt and clutter throughout the house.
Despite numerous attempts from friends and family to clean the home up in between Mr Morton’s hospital stays, it returned to a poor state. Upon hearing about Mr Morton’s death, fans held a round of applause in his memory.
A tribute, posted on social media by his nephew Connor Morton, read: “Despite everything he went through, Tim will be remembered for his love of football, his determination, and the many memories he shared with family and friends. Rest easy, Uncle Tim. You’ll be sadly missed - but never forgotten.”
