A BLACKBURN man died following a sudden and unexpected seizure, an inquest heard.

Gary Laycock, 31, who suffered from epileptic seizures, was discovered in his room after having the attack on September 4.

Members of staff at Florence House in Blackburn provided cardiopulmonary resuscitation to Mr Laycock after they discovered that he was not breathing. He was taken to Royal Blackburn Hospital by paramedics.

Mr Laycock, who since 2002 had lived at the Florence Street home for people with learning and mental-health difficulties, was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital.

Coroner Michael Singleton said that he was dealing with the death as Mr Laycock was subject to a deprivation-of-liberty safeguarding order and was effectively under state detention. The coroner concluded that Mr Laycock died from a sudden and unexpected seizure.

His mum, Margaret, said: “His seizures would come in clusters. He would have the seizure and he would then fall to the ground gasping for air. It would take him an hour to recover from one.

“On September 4, I had gone to Florence House intending to take him out for the day. He was still in bed asleep and I shook his shoulder and told him to wake up.

“He followed me down to get his medicine but went back to his room.

“I was going to take him to the bank and I would never have gone if I knew what state he was in.”

Chris Cope, team leader at Florence House, said: “I was in the office doing a bit of paperwork and ten to 15 minutes passed and I knew that there was a good chance that he would have a seizure.

“I sent a colleague to check on him and found that he (Mr Laycock) had had a seizure. I told Mrs Laycock what had happened.”

In a statement that was read out at the inquest, Anthony Carr said: “I went into his room and he was on the floor.”

Mr Singleton, senior coroner for Blackburn, Hyndburn and the Ribble Valley, told Mrs Laycock: “You have my heartfelt sympathy.”