Brierfield taxi driver drank himself to death (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Brierfield taxi driver drank himself to death

9:03pm Wednesday 18th June 2008 in Pendle By Chris Hopper, Reporter

A TAXI driver drank himself to death celebrating a successful business meeting, an inquest heard.

Mohammed Anwar Khan, 40, of Albion Street, Brierfield, was found dead on a sofa in the office of Marley's Taxis, in Colne Road, Burnley, following a night of drinking on January 30.

A hearing at Burnley Coroner's Court was told Mr Khan had spent the evening in discussions with Marley's owner Miriam Khalique and employee Catherine Clarkson over becoming a partner at the firm.

Mrs Khalique said the three had met at around 8.30pm but an hour later, Mr Khan had gone to buy alcohol and returned with drinks, including a bottle of whiskey.

"He finished half of it and when we went to take it off him he kept saying put it down'," said Mrs Khalique.

The two women said Mr Khan fell asleep on a sofa at around 11pm and, after covering him with a blanket, they returned to the front of the office.

Mrs Clarkson said she could hear Mr Khan snoring at around 1.30am but a few hours later she could not hear anything.

She said: "I woke up about 5.20am and there was no noise. Everything was very quiet.

"I thought, Has he gone? He can't have gone. I went in and he was just laid there. He was cold."

Dr Abdul Al-Dawoud, a consultant pathologist for East Lancashire, carried out the post mortem on Mr Khan.

He told the inquest he found "high amounts" of alcohol in samples from Mr Khan which would have caused loss of consciousness and cardiac arrest.

East Lancashire coroner Richard Taylor said Mr Khan had drunk more than he expected and recorded a verdict of accidental death.