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Full Report
 | November 02, 1992 |
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A father thought his brave son had 'a dose of flu' when in fact he was secretly dying from AIDS, an inquest heard. Twenty-nine year old artist James Kingsley, who did not see a doctor after falling ill, died at his home in Reculver Road, Rotherhithe, on September 11, Southwark Coroners Court was told. His father, Mr Edwin Kingsley of Molyneux Road, Weybridge, sat silently at the inquest as a close friend who shared the same address as his son, Mr Michael Pollard, recounted the months leading up to his tragic death. Mr Pollard said: 'He had become unwell in the last seven or eight months and started to get run down. 'He lost a lot of weight and his hair turned grey. He was quite an athletic person and the change was dramatic. 'On the morning of September 11 he complained of a mouth ulcer but his general health had improved and I thought he was getting better,' he said. But that afternoon he went to the toilet and his friend heard him fall over. 'I smashed the window above the door to get to him. 'I did not think that he was alive but I tried to revive him. I could not hear a heartbeat,' Mr Pollard said. Mr Kingsley told the court that his son had looked unwell on the last two occassions that he had seen him. He said: 'I thought that he had a flu and when he complained of an ulcer I thought he just had problems with his teeth.' Recording a verdict of death by natural causes, coroner Sir Montague Levine said that he probably did not go to a doctor because he realised that there was no cure for AIDS. He added that although there was no evidence that he had taken an AIDS test it was possible he had guessed his condition. Sir Montague said that the medical evidence was that AIDS had reduced Mr Kingsley's capacity to fight a blood disease which spread throughout his body. ENDS | |