Aquaholic drinks himself to death by gorging on a hosepipe

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 9:58 PM on 30th October 2008

Andrew Else drank so much water from a garden hose that his heart failed

The brother of a mentally disturbed man who drank himself to death by gorging on a hosepipe yesterday criticised the care home looking after him.

Stephen Else, 54, said his autistic brother Andrew - an 'aquaholic' who had been addicted to drinking water for 30 years - should never have been left alone near free-flowing water.

Mr Else, 54, from Milton Keynes, told his brother's inquest: 'The water drinking had been a problem for years. I am concerned about the access he had to the hosepipe.

'Here is something with which it is easy to drink a large quantity of water very quickly. Andrew was obviously drinking from it, but no one took the decision to turn it off.'

The inquest at Newbury town hall in Berkshire heard how Andrew Else, 51, developed the condition after suffering stomach pains in his 20s.

He would often go to extreme lengths to satisfy his craving, regularly drinking from bathroom taps.

Although staff at the Voyage centre in Theale near Reading were told to monitor him after he was spotted drinking from the hosepipe on May 25, he was later found drenched and lifeless.

Patima Silima, deputy manager of the Voyage centre in Theale, near Reading, Berks, told the inquest that her staff had done all they could to monitor Mr Else's behaviour on the day he died.

She said: 'I spotted him drinking water from the hosepipe in the garden at around 5pm, so I told the staff to monitor him.

'A little later I looked out into the garden and saw him trying to turn the hosepipe tap off. His jumper and knees were wet, so for me it was clear he had been drinking again.

'We brought him indoors and gave him some medication to calm him down and he seemed to be fine.'  

But Mrs Silima told the hearing that she was called into the garden at 8.15pm to find Mr Else collapsed on the ground.

She added: 'His lips had changed colour and he was cold.'  

Pathologist Dr Colin McCormick said Mr Else had died from over-consumption of water which had diluted the levels of sodium in his blood, causing heart failure  

Toxicology tests also found he had died from water intoxication - a condition known as hyponatraemia - after drinking several litres.

Mrs Silima added: 'Andrew was always trying to get the water. We gave him lots of tea and drinks like everyone else but it was a big problem.' 

Recording a verdict of accidental death Pearl Willis, deputy coroner for Berkshire, said: 'Andrew was an emotional individual who had a fascination with drinking water spanning many years.

'He wouldn't have known the dangers of drinking too much water, and although maybe the hosepipe should have been turned off earlier, I feel it is appropriate to record a verdict of accidental death.'