Age: 55
Sex: male
Date: 1 May 1986
Place: Josephine Avenue, Brixton, London
John Jordan was found dead in his bed at his home in Josephine Avenue, Brixton on 4 April 1986.
It was initially thought he had drunk himself to death, but his post mortem examination showed that he had been strangled.
He had been an alcoholic and it was thought he had been strangled in his sleep.
He had been on a weekend drinking binge with his common law wife who woke up to find him dead. She said:
It was noted that John Jordan had a blood alcohol level of 400 milligrams, which could have been fatal for most people and that even a hardened drinker would have been unconscious.
However, it was said that although there were lethal levels of alcohol in his blood and urine, he didn't die naturally. A pathologist said:
The pathologist noted that although there were no finger marks on the neck, that didn't mean that he hadn't been strangled.
However, the police said that there was no supporting evidence, and did not accept that he had been murdered. They said:
It was also noted that blood had soaked through the floor boards.
When the Coroner summed up, he said:
The coroner then returned a verdict of unlawful killing.
