A MAN who travelled to Serbia to have surgery he thought would cure his drug addiction died from complications from the operation, an inquest has heard.

Mohammed Attar Javed Sadiq, 49, of Every Street, Nelson, travelled to Belgrade in Serbia with a friend for the elective surgery where an implant was inserted in his stomach.

An inquest at Burnley Magistrates Court heard Mr Sadiq travelled around1,520 miles from his home to a clinic in Serbia for the treatment which took place on February 25, 2016.

The surgery involved the insertion of a tube to the left of his navel but during the treatment he suffered a heart attack.

Senior coroner Richard Taylor, described Mr Sadiq as 'a drug user'.

He said: "He travelled to Belgrade for a procedure to have a surgical implant inserted.

"This was intended as an aid to stop him taking drugs.

"He failed to recover from the procedure after having a cardiac arrest during the operation."

Mr Sadiq was transferred to the Pasterova Hospital in Belgrade where a duty doctor pronounced him dead.

The hearing heard that two post mortem examinations took place, one in Serbia on February 29 and another in Blackburn March 7 after repatriation of his body to Lancashire.

The second examination was undertaken after confusion as to whether a pathologist had examined the body in Serbia.

A translation of the pathologist's report found the cause of death as heart failure complicated by pneumonia.

Dr Richard Prescott, gave the cause of death as bronchial pneumonia.

Mr Taylor recorded a conclusion of misadventure.

He said: "It's quite clear to me that Mr Sadiq suffered a cardiac arrest which happened during elective surgery.

"Therefore the appropriate conclusion is one of misadventure.

"It was the unintended outcome of an intended action."