Mystery surrounds the death of a man whose body may have been left undiscovered in his flat for more than a month.

Police discovered Keith Goldsmith, of Beaver Court, South Ashford, slumped on the sofa in his flat on October 27, last year.

But the body of the 33-year-old was so badly decomposed that experts could not determine when or how he died.

A statement was read aloud at an inquest held at the Archbishop’s Palace in Maidstone from his neighbour Tracey Stanton.

She said she became aware of something not being right at his flat “as a result of a smell coming from it” and her partner Stewart Monk alerted police.

A spokesman for the force said Mr Goldsmith had not been seen for some time and officers were concerned for his welfare.

He said: “We forced entry into the address and found a male deceased on the sofa.

“There was a large quantity of mail behind the front door, fresh food in the fridge with a date September 19 and an empty milk carton in the bin dated September 21.

“A bank statement showed regular card usage up until the September 19, which was the last day the card was used.”

Christopher Morris, assistant coroner for central and south east Kent, recorded an open verdict.

He read a statement from Mr Goldsmith’s GP, which said he suffered with a pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis (DVT), depression and a mentally unstable personality disorder.

“We forced entry into the address and found a male deceased on the sofa" - a police spokesman

He also heard he was a drug user who snorted and injected heroin, frequently missed appointments and often failed to take the medication required for his DVT.

Mr Morris said: “This is a very sad case. A post mortem has not been able to identify a medical cause of death.

“We know he had suffered from significant health problems.

“It is important to note that police found no evidence of drug paraphernalia.

“He probably died on or around the September 19 but the evidence does not show how he came about his death. I have to record an open conclusion into his death.”

Just over a month before his death, Keith Goldsmith had received a fine for assaulting a neighbour.

A court heard he has hit the victim over the back of the head as he walked away from an argument.

Mr Goldsmith pleaded guilty to assaulting his neighbour Stewart Monk when he appeared before Folkestone Magistrates’ Court.

The pair were both said to be “well known to the courts” and had been embroiled in a feud for a number of years.

Mr Goldsmith was ordered to pay £460 and given a restraining order to stay away from his neighbour.