THE wife of a 39-year-old man who was found dead in his flat is calling on anyone who may have visited him just days before to contact her.

Julie Ellison had been married to Gary for 17 years but the pair had been separated for three months when he was found slumped between his bath and toilet in his flat above a cafe in Bridge Street, Darwen.

An inquest heard that Gary Ellison died of natural causes on June 20 but Mrs Ellison believes someone had been with him when he died or had visited his flat but did not report it to the police.

She is calling on them to come forward so she can draw a line under what has happened and move on.

Mrs Ellison, of Gifford Way, Darwen, said her husband’s flat had been ransacked with his laptop had thrown across the room and his breakfast bar had been trashed.

She said her husband, who was in the army, was meticulous and even when he was drunk he would not destroy anywhere.

The inquest heard Mr Ellison had been found when water had started to seep into the cafe below.

Mrs Ellison, 46, who separated from her husband until he dealt with his drink problem, said: “He would do anything for his family and friends and things don’t seem to add up.

“He had a drink problem but he didn’t live like that .

“I can’t dispute the cause of death but it still doesn’t tell me how he died.

“The last thing he would do if he was drunk would be to have a shower, and the post mortem said he wasn’t intoxicated.

“He went to the doctors on Monday, someone had seen him on Tuesday then he was found on Friday.

“I want to know what happened between the 17 and 20 June.

“I can’t dispute with the medical evidence but I think someone knows something and I would like to find out what it is.

Dr Mohammed Aslam, consultant pathologist at Royal Blackburn Hospital said Mr Ellison died from broncho pneumonia and a fatty liver had contributed to his death.

There was insignificant alcohol traces in his blood and there were no other toxins in his system.

The coroner Michael Singleton recorded a verdict of natural causes during the inquest at the coroner’s office yesterday.