A 32-year-old man, Richard Bull died in his London home on December 11. He was found by his wife Tanya, who thought her husband had been attacked because his burns were so severe. 

At an inquest into his death the coroner issued a warning about using the 'innocuous devices' which can be 'as dangerous as a hairdryer in a bathroom.'


Recording a verdict of accidental death, Dr Sean Cummings said: 'These seem like innocuous devices but can be as dangerous as a hairdryer in a bathroom. They should attach warnings. I intend to write a report later to the makers of the phone.'

Mr Bull was getting ready to go out meet family members to exchange Christmas presents when the tragedy happened.  

His mother Carole said: 'I have worried that so many people and especially teenagers, that can't be separated from their phones, don't know how dangerous it is.'  

PC Craig Pattison told the inquest at West London Coroner's Court how he found the extension lead running from the hallway outside into the bathroom.'

'We found an iPhone plugged into the extension cable and then the charger element in the bath,' he explained

PC Pattison said he ruled out suicide when he arrived at the scene, Daily Mail reports. 

'We received a dispatch call from control saying they were contacted by his wife. She was upset, having returned home. She said her husband was dead inside a bath tub. There was some confusion about an electric cable in the bathroom. There was the possibility of it being suicide.

'When we arrived the ambulance service was there. They told me they had unplugged an extension cord, but that they could do nothing further as he had already passed away. The extension cord was coming from the hallway leading into the bathroom.

'Initial circumstances indicated suicide. The question was considered in the original call, but the cable wasn't near the bath, it had been run there to charge a mobile phone.

'The extension cable was on the floor and it appeared as though he had his phone charger on his chest and the part between the phone charger and the cable had made contact with the water.'

Dr Cummings described the result of the electrocution saying: 'The post mortem revealed burn marks on the right arm and the chest occurring as a result of electrocution. There were also burns on the right hand. The opinion of the pathologist was that this seems to be an accident.'

'I live in the US and they say it can't happen, and that there is not enough electricity. But in the UK it is enough. You don't think there is enough electricity but there is.

'We think he may have been there for a long time, he was getting ready to meet his family. It was such a needless and tragic accident.'