Paul Edwards

Paul Edwards died from shock after his red Nissan car was covered in paint by vandals.

Vandels had thrown paint at their window and car shortly before midnight. The can had shattered their bay window and the paint had splattered over their house front and car that was parked outside.

He then went out to try and clean the paint off and then went back into his house and sat down and died of a heart attack.

Paul Edwards had been a retired chauffeur.

It was heard that his car had been his pride abnd joy and that he couoldn't bear to leaving it like that and had gone out with a mop and bucket to clean it, despite his wife asking him to leave it until the morning.

His wife said:

After collapsing he was taken to the Royal Manchester Infirmary where he died an hour later.

The pathologist said that Paul Edwards died from heart failure and heart disease.

It was heard that Paul Edwards had also had chest problems and had suffered from three heart attacks since 1988.

The doctor said that the incident and physical exertion in delaing with the damage helped cause his death. A verdcit od death by natural causes was recorded.

Bank Street was described as once having been a good neighbours, but that many had since left because of the yobs in the area, including Paul Edwards's daughter. however, she said that her mother had lived there all her life and didn't want to leave.

The police appealed for anyone with information to contact them.

The paint tin and its lid were later discovered in a back street, but police inquiries to find the culprit drew a blank.

At his inquest on 18 August 1995, the Coroner called for the introduction of a new offence to deal with death from the shock of crime. He said:

Paul Edwards's daughter said that she agreed with the Coroner's plea. She added:

She noted that her mother had taken Paul Edwards's death badly, noting that after his previous heart attacks that he'd always got better and that she had just thought he would be leaving hospital soon, but that he never did.