A gardener who died while tending to a multi-million pound estate was likely poisoned by a deadly flower, a coroner has heard.
Nathan Greenaway, 33, was employed by the owners of Millcourt House in Hampshire and collapsed while at work in September.
He was rushed to hospital, but doctors were unable to determine the cause of his illness and he died of multiple organ failure almost a week later. The potential cause of death only became apparent after Greenaway’s father began his own investigation and discovered the link to the deadly plant.
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Pathologists at a pre-inquest hearing revealed that it was "more likely than not" that he died after coming into contact with the aconitum plant, commonly known as Wolfsbane. A poisonous genus of the buttercup family, it grows wild across the UK.
Tom Wells, from the Chelsea Physic Garden, told The Times that Wolfsbane is one of the most dangerous plants found in British gardens. Poisoning can occur by handling the plant without gloves and can cause dizziness, vomiting, heart palpitation, organ failure and death.
"The roots are where the highest level of poison is found, although it is still found in the flower," he said. "If there were cuts on his hand, it would enter his bloodstream and affect his heart very quickly.
"The plant is very common in the UK and grows easily in gardens around the country, along with many other dangerous plants like foxglove, deadly nightshade and angel’s trumpet."
The plant has been linked to several high profile deaths in recent years. In 2004, the Canadian actor Andre Noble died after accidently eating the plant on a camping trip. In 2009 Lakhvir Singh, nicknamed the Curry Killer, poisoned her partner Lakhvinder Cheema with a meal laced with Indian aconite, which comes from the same plant family.
The owner of the £4 million estate, Ogilvie Thompson, has refused to comment on the inquest or the circumstances leading to the gardener’s death.
