A severe asthma sufferer who ignored appointment requests from his doctor was found dead on his kitchen floor in Streatham, an inquest heard.

Edward Lee, a 43-year-old hotel porter, was discovered by paramedics at his studio flat on November 12 last year.

Westminster Coroner’s Court heard that Mr Lee, who grew up in Battersea but lived in Streatham, had been seen by family members the day before he died.

His worried mother, Shirley, raised the alarm after phoning him several times that morning and receiving no answer.

A crew from the London Ambulance Service were forced to enter the first floor flat in Mulberry Close through a side window but Mr Lee was confirmed dead at the scene at 1.25pm.

Giving evidence, police constable David Brooks said he inspected the flat with a colleague just after 2pm and found Mr Lee in the kitchen.

They found no evidence of a suicide note or drug abuse and the death was subsequently recorded as “non-suspicious”, he said.

In a statement read to the court, Mr Lee’s GP, Dr Hima Puvinathan, said his patient suffered from “severe asthma” but had failed to keep two previous appointments with him.

On November 10, the surgery received a repeat prescription request from Mr Lee for his asthma medication, which was later collected by his father. No further appointment requests were made, he said.

Dr Michael Heath, who performed a post mortem examination on the body, confirmed there were no signs of injury but said Mr Lee’s lungs were “heavy and hyper inflated” due to “asthmatic changes”.

He concluded Mr Lee had died from a condition called status asthmaticus – an acute exacerbation of asthma that does not respond to standard treatments. Coroner Fiona Wilcox recorded a verdict of death by natural causes.

Outside court, Mrs Lee paid tribute to her son and to the authorities for their handling of the case.

She said: “[Edward] was a very generous spirit. From a young age he was always so caring and compassionate.

“The ambulance crew, the police I spoke to on the day, the coroner and the undertakers, they have all been brilliant to us and treated us with much dignity and respect.”