A man died after stabbing himself in the stomach while high on drugs, an inquest has heard.

Adrian Ross was killed by a self-inflicted wound in a back garden in Hythe.

The 29-year-old was found by an elderly resident in Hillside Street on a raised deck at the back of her property.

The widow, who did not know Mr Ross, spotted his body from her bathroom window at about 7am on February 14.

She rushed out to reach him, at which point she saw his injuries and phoned the emergency services.

Mr Ross was alive when the elderly woman first found him but he died before police and ambulance services could arrive.

Paramedics attempted CPR but were unable to revive him and declared death at 8.18am.

The inquest at County Hall in Maidstone heard that police officers launched a full scale search of the area in an attempt to find answers following the discovery.

CCTV outside the home showed Mr Ross enter the garden alone just over two hours before he was discovered, carrying two bags that were later found near his body.

Officers found a large, bloodstained machete nearby as well as a ziplock bag containing white powder.

Two neighbours whose gardens were near the one in which he was found reported hearing a "bloodcurdling scream" at around 5.30am.

Coroner Patricia Harding said that the timing meant that it was "reasonable to infer" that the noise was caused by the former personal trainer using the knife on himself.

She added that a toxicology report had found exceptionally high amounts of amphetamine in his blood and urine, and that he had been known to allegedly believe there were "parasites in his bloodstream".

Reading from the police report, she said that family members had confirmed that the knife belonged to Mr Ross, and that officers determined there was no third party involvement in his death.

Ruling the death a suicide, Ms Harding said: "It is clear that Mr Ross took with him the knife that caused his death, and inflicted wounds upon him, and did so under the effects of amphetamines."