Surfer died in his slee(

THE heartbroken girlfriend of a keen surfer who choked to death in his sleep while they were on holiday told an inquest how she woke to find him lying dead beside her.

Kelly Francis Gunn, from Peacehaven, was on a surfing holiday in Cornwall with long-term boyfriend Mark Mather in July this year when the tragedy occurred.

The couple, who had been together for nine and a half years, frequently visited Cornwall on holiday. Mark, 31, enjoyed an active lifestyle and was a keen surfer.

They were staying at the Ty Gwyn Caravan Park, near Perranporth, and Mark had been suffering from an upset stomach for a couple of days but was otherwise in good health.

Kelly told the inquest in Truro that ten days into the holiday, on July 9, they had been enjoying a day at the beach, where Mark had gone surfing, before returning to their camper van for a barbecue with some friends.

Mark, a self-employed upholsterer, also from Peacehaven, had eaten a couple of hot dogs and drunk two beers and a glass of wine.

The couple had also smoked a quantity of cannabis, but Kelly said that this was not out of the ordinary and Mark seemed no different than usual when he went to bed.

'He had complained of a dodgy stomach for a couple of days, but he seemed alright that day', she said.

'I woke up in the early hours of the morning because his elbow was poking into my back. I tried to move him, then I realised that something was wrong because he was very cold to touch.

'I called Leon in the caravan next door to help and he went to the site officer's house to ring for an ambulance.

'But Mark was already dead before they took him away from the site.'

Pathologist Dr Joseph Matthew said that Mark died from asphyxiation as a result of food blocking his windpipe.

He said that normally a fit, healthy adult would have a gag reflex after vomiting, preventing them from choking, but was unable to say for certain why this did not occur.

'This is highly unusual, and there is no obvious explanation why he vomited, or why his body did not react to it', he said.

Mark had been taking medication for persistent headaches that he suffered since breaking his nose while doing karate, but Dr Matthew said this was unlikely to have affected his state of consciousness.

Toxicity tests showed a small amount of alcohol in Mr Mather's blood, but not enough to affect his mental condition, and his father said that he wasn't a big drinker.

Recording a verdict of death by natural causes, West Cornwall Coroner Dr Edward Carlyon concluded that the death was as a result of gastritis because of an upset stomach, which caused Mr Mather to vomit and choke.