The mother of a man who "devoted his life to his little dog" has paid tribute to her son at an inquest into his death. 

Matthew Swann lived at Cabbell Road in Cromer and died last year aged 50. 

An inquest into his death was held at Norwich Coroner's Court in County Hall on Tuesday, February 21.

Mr Swann, who had recently celebrated his birthday, was found dead in his room at his home address. 

Police and an ambulance crew were called at around 7.30pm after neighbours reported seeing Mr Swann's dog looking distressed at the window. 

Upon entering his room, Mr Swann was found lying on the floor.

He is believed to have been there for up to five days and was declared dead at the scene. 

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His mother, Jennifer Powell, of Leicestershire, had been planning to move to Norfolk to be closer to her son. She said she "regretted" not being able to relocate sooner. 

She added: "Matthew was a social person who did not like being on his own.  

"He dedicated his life to his little dog.  

"He was clever and intelligent. He had previously worked in laboratory settings and in hospitality. He loved working but had not been able to due to his health.  

"I was the one constant in his life. He always came to stay with me when things went wrong. And he had a good relationship with his late stepfather who died 18 months ago." 

Mr Swann had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Mrs Powell said that she suspected he had struggled with mental ill health his entire life.  

Yvonne Blake, area coroner for Norfolk, recorded a short-form narrative. She said: "Matthew Swann was found deceased at home. Despite a postmortem, his medical cause of death could not be ascertained." 

  • To read more obituaries and tributes, or to pay tribute to a loved one, join the Facebook group Norfolk's Loved & Lost. ​