A suspected burglar was found dead in a chimney at a solicitor’s office in “very unusual” and “very tragic circumstances”, a British coroner said yesterday.

The body of Kevin Gough, 43, was discovered inside the chimney stack at Moody & Woolley Solicitors in St Mary’s Gate, Derby, England on May 1.

Builders made the grim discovery while carrying out repairs on a chimney stack at the terraced property.

An inquest into Mr Gough’s death at Derby and South Derbyshire Coroner’s Court heard that prior to this staff at the business had noticed a bad smell and a pest control company had been contacted.

T-shirt had drawn up around his neck and constricted his airway

Police were called and officers gained access inside the law firm, housed in a terraced property, and found Mr Gough’s badly decomposed body stuck inside the chimney. The chimney breast and fireplace had been completely bricked up from the inside.

Mr Gough was identified from his fingerprints. It is not clear why Mr Gough had gone into the chimney.

Mr Gough had been arrested on March 13 because he was found to be in possession of prescribed medication that was not in his own name. He was also wanted in connection with a previous dwelling burglary at a business on The Strand in Derby.