A man died after accidentally stabbing himself while trying to separate two frozen burger patties with a knife, an inquest has heard.
Barry Griffiths, 57, died after he sustained a fatal wound to his stomach.
The 57-year-old lived alone and had been described as a “very private man”.
An inquest heard that he was found at his flat in Llandrindod Wells, Powys where he lay dead for several days before later being found by police in a welfare check.
Man died after accidentally stabbing himself while trying to separate two frozen burger pattiesFlickr/Google Street ViewConcerns were raised in July 2023 when Griffiths, who was residing in shared living accommodation, had not been for over a week.
He was found fully clothed and with dried blood on his stomach, whilst blood splatters were found throughout his kitchen and bathroom.
His phone, wallet, and computer had not been touched and there was no sign of a struggle in the first-floor apartment.
It was only when officers found the frozen burger, that they were able to determine what happened.
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Detective Chief Inspector Jonathan Rees said: “The bottom drawer of the freezer had been left open and pulled forward in a position to access food items.
“On the work surface in the kitchen adjacent to the fridge-freezer were two uncooked burgers, a knife and a tea towel.
“The wound to the abdomen would have been approximately the height of the work surface. My hypothesis at that stage was that Griffiths was attempting to separate frozen burgers using a knife.”
The medical examiner, Patricia Morgan, eventually ruled that Griffiths most likely died from an accident and not a suicide.
Griffiths accidentally fatally stabbed himself while trying to separate two frozen burger patties with a knife
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Morgan said that he lay dead for several days from a single stab wound before he was found.
Initially, the knife was found covered with a substance thought to be chocolate, though it was later determined to be the blood of Griffth, a man who led a “relatively private life with limited contact with others”.
Dr Richard Jones, a Home Office pathologist, gave the cause of death as blood loss through sharp force injury.