DEATH BY VIBRATOR

A man died after a vibrator became lodged in his body and he was too embarrassed to see a doctor, an inquest heard

Nigel Willis, 50, could not remove the sex aid and spent five days lying on the sofa of the home he shared with his elderly mother in Forest Hill, southeast London.

Mr Willis was left dizzy, weak and unable to move, Southwark Coroners’ Court heard.

The diabetic was rushed to Lewisham Hospital on 30 December 2013 after a friend begged him to get help.

He was admitted to intensive care on New Year’s Eve after suffering septic shock.

Surgeons managed to remove the vibrator, which had become stuck so deep in Mr Willis’s rectum it had perforated his bowel.

Mr Willis was a diabetic who single and unemployed at the time of his death.

Consultant at Lewisham Hospital, Dr Adebowale Adesina said: ‘Mr Willis was brought in by ambulance at 16:03 on the 30 December 2013.

‘The history was that his friend or carer called an ambulance because he complained of dizziness, weakness and was unable to move from the sofa for five days.’

It was discovered Mr Willis had a ‘foreign body’ in his anus and he underwent emergency surgery.

Doctor Bernd Rose, a consultant with ITU, said: ‘Mr Willis was a 50-year-old gentleman with a history of diabetes.

‘Together with his neighbour he looked after his very elderly mother who he lived with.’

In a statement read at the inquest he said Mr Willis had been unable to remove the vibrator which he had inserted into his rectum days before his admission to hospital.

‘He was admitted to the ITU on the 31 December, he had a very prolonged ITU stay,’ he added.

Mr Willis’ condition deteriorated and he became less responsive, dying at 7am on February 7 this year.

The post mortem conducted by Dr Peter Jerreat determined the cause of death to be multi-organ failure, sepsis and a perforated bowel.

Assistant Coroner to inner-south London Sarah Ormand-Walshe said: ‘This is a sad case of a an who died at 50 years of age.

‘He appears to have had a foreign object which has become stuck in the lower part of his bowel and had been there for a number of days when he was encouraged to go to hospital by his friends on 30 December 2013.

‘That night it was discovered that it looked like he had a perforated bowel.’

Ms Ormand-Walshe said Mr Willis was left ‘fighting for his life’ over the ensuing days.

‘The main cause of death clearly is just the abdomen injury – the injury to the bowel,’ she said.

The cause of death was given as multi-organ failure, sepsis and a perforated bowel.

The coroner ruled Mr Willis, of (135) Dartmouth Road, Forest Hill, died as a result of an accident.
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