Body-builder died suddenly in Thai island, inquest hears

A body-building bus driver died suddenly in his sleep on his first night in a Thai island paradise, an inquest heard today.

The inquest at Windsor's Guildhall heard how the heart of Reuben Smith of Peel Close, Windsor, stopped hours after he touched down in Thailand on December 2.

It heard he was likely to have died from sudden adult death syndrome (SADS) - which is common in finely tuned athletes such as Reuben. Only last month Premier League footballer Fabrice Muamba suffered a similar sudden cardiac arrest during a match, but made a remarkable recovery.

Reuben, 45, arrived at paradisical Ko Samui in southern Thailand at 8pm the day before he died. He had moved there to train as he loved the culture and had made friends on his regular visits.

Fit and healthy Reuben was found by his friend, who was visiting his apartment, lying on his back dead in bed.

Pathologist Dr Ashley Fegan-Earl said as no toxicology report was taken in Thailand and due to the time it took to get his body back to the UK - no exact cause of death could be given.

In recording it as unascertained, he said only a limited number of samples were possible on his muscular body because of its decomposition.

In conclusion Berkshire coroner Peter Bedford said the most likely explanation for Reuben's death was natural causes, while synthetic use of steroids could be 'excluded'.