THE sister of a man who died at a Weston care home was lied to by the manager who said he was with somebody when he died.

THE sister of a man who died at a Weston care home was lied to by the manager who said he was with somebody when he died.

Peter Jones, who suffered from life long learning difficulties, was found dead in a toilet at the residential care home at 3 Gerard Road.

Mr Jones's sister, Mary, had previously told the home's manager, Terry Cook, that she did not want her brother to be alone when he died.

An inquest into the 62-year-old's death, in Flax Bourton, heard that Mr Cook told Mary her brother was with a carer when he died on May 22 last year.

But Coroner Paul Forester heard that Mr Jones was discovered alone in a toilet by an overnight carer at the Brandon Trust run home.

Sgt Peter Frake, who investigated the death, said: "Terry Cook did not want to alarm her so he said he was fine."

Giving evidence at the inquest, Mr Cook said: "All I did was to shield the family to ensure no-one was upset or disturbed."

Mr Jones was pronounced dead at 6.52am by paramedics who 'had to remove the door from its hinges with a crowbar' before they could get to where he lay.

Speaking after the inquest, Mary's son, John Lewing, said: "I am very angry with the Brandon Trust and I do feel it has been negligent."

Pathologist David Paterson said Mr Jones died from a particularly virulent strain of pneumonia.

The coroner said he would write to the Brandon Trust asking it to install an alarm cord in the toilet and to ensure the door opened outwards to allow paramedics to gain access more easily in a similar situation.

The trust's assistant director, Steve Day, said: "We are looking at changing both of these.

"We have also spoken to Terry Cook about the reasons why he took the steps he did. We are not taking any further action at this juncture. We have apologised.