SAD NEWS:Zimbabwean Nurse’s Mysterious Death In The UK Leaves Coroner Puzzled
The mysterious death of a Zimbabwean nurse in the UK has left the coroner puzzled about the cause.
Stephen Chidawa, a 45-year-old nurse known as ‘Stavo,’ was found dead in his bed by his wife at their home in Gipton on October 21 last year. A post-mortem revealed that he had a “profound and fatal” level of alcohol in his system.
However, his wife and a work colleague both testified that he showed no signs of being drunk that day, and there were no empty alcohol bottles in the house.
Unanswered Questions
At the inquest into his death held at Wakefield Coroner’s Court, senior coroner Kevin McLoughlin said that the circumstances surrounding Chidawa’s death were mysterious. He noted that it was unlikely that Chidawa was hiding a secret drinking habit and that there were no clues to indicate that he had been drinking heavily that day. McLoughlin also expressed surprise that paramedics who attended to Chidawa did not detect the smell of alcohol on him.
In McLoughlin’s words,
Testimony from Wife and Colleague
Chidawa’s wife, Stacy Chidawa, testified that her husband enjoyed a social drink but was not drinking secretly.
She also said that he knew instantly when he was drunk and that he did not present as drunk that day. When she tried to wake him up at around noon, she said that he was “lifeless.”
Chidawa’s colleague, Kelvin Alleyne, spoke highly of him, saying that “wherever he went, people just loved him. Nobody had a bad word to say about him.”
Post Mortem Findings
The post-mortem revealed that Chidawa had 523 mugs of alcohol in 100 ml of urine, which was the equivalent of being five times over the drink-drive limit. The test also found traces of sedative drugs, zolpidem, and clonazepam. Chidawa had no significant health concerns.
Conclusion
Despite the post-mortem findings, the inquest into Chidawa’s death has raised questions about how he could have had such a high level of alcohol in his system without any apparent signs of drinking. The mystery surrounding Chidawa’s death is unlikely to be solved, leaving his family and friends to mourn his untimely passing.
