Father, 36, hanged himself by accident when he tried to scare his fiancee after they watched American Horror Story on TV, inquest hears

• Philip Burns accidentally hanged himself after a night out in Carlisle, Cumbria 
• The 36-year-old was trying to prank his fiancée after watching a horror together
• His partner, Michelle Delahunty-Evans, said the pair had been ‘having a laugh’
• High levels of alcohol and traces of cocaine were found in Mr Burns’ blood
• A coroner concluded it was a ‘death by misadventure’ and not a case of suicide

A father accidentally hanged himself while trying to scare his fiancée after they had watched American Horror Story on TV, an inquest heard.

Dry liner Philip Burns, 36, was ‘mucking around’ to get the attention of girlfriend Michelle Delahunty-Evans.

Michelle told the hearing in Cumbria that she turned round after singing along to the TV at the couple’s home to see Philip hanging with his back to the living room door.

Paramedics attended after she ran into the street to get help but it was too late to save his life on February 28 this year.

MIchelle told the hearing the pair had been out in Carlisle where they had ‘quite a few drinks’ and were ‘having a laugh’.

Philip Burns (pictured), 36, was ‘mucking around’ and trying to prank his fiancée Michelle Delahunty-Evans (pictured) when he accidentally hanged himself in his home in February, an inquest heard

Mr Burns, who had been released from prison in February 2020, had ‘turned his life around’ and ‘found a job he loved’ as a dry lining operative before his tragic accidental death

She said they had returned to their home in the city and were ‘joking around, being silly’.

Ms Delahunty-Evans said she had been singing along to the TV and had then turned around and saw Mr Burns had his back against the door.

She said they had been watching American Horror Story that weekend and Mr Burns had been trying to scare her.

A statement read out from a police constable who attended the incident said he arrived to find an unresponsive male on the floor and a person carrying out CPR.

He said Mr Burns’ partner was ‘intoxicated’ and ‘shocked’ at what was going on. 

A police sergeant who attended the scene said Mr Burns was lying on the floor when he arrived and there were indentations on the door frame.

A toxicological test of his blood revealed he had high levels of alcohol in his system and traces of cocaine. 

Coroner Dr Nicholas Shaw told the hearing in Cockermouth: ‘If someone is found hanging, you initially think they have committed suicide.

‘Philip has no mental health history, no history of self-harm. 

‘He had been out for a night out and seems to have had a good time.

‘People don’t generally take their lives when people are in the same room at the same time. 

‘I find it hard to believe he has taken his own life.

‘I’m more inclined to think that because they were playing around, I suspect this is something he has done that has gone wrong.

‘No one will know. Philip can’t talk to us from the grave. I think it’s more likely than not he was mucking around and something went wrong.’

He said it was likely Mr Burns was trying to scare his fiancée by hanging on the door when the ligature had tightened and caused his death.

A statement read out from Mr Burns’ mother, Andrea McGrath, said the loss of her son had ‘completely broken her heart’.

Mr Burns had been released from prison in February 2020 after being convicted of assault on a child. 

He had ‘found a job he loved’ as a dry lining operative.

The couple had been watching American Horror Story on TV that weekend, which is believed to have inspired Mr Burns’ ill-fated prank. Pictured: Leslie Grossman and Macaulay Culkin, actors in the TV series American Horror Story

Ms McGrath said he had been in a better place than he had been in a long time.

Dr Shaw concluded that Mr Burns died by misadventure, with a medical cause of death as hanging.

In his concluding statement, the coroner said: ‘After a long period of trouble, Philip Burns had turned his life around. 

‘He was taking steps to lead a more stable and balanced life. He was working. He had plans for the future.

‘I’m happy with a conclusion of misadventure.’

Speaking to Ms Delahunty-Evans, Dr Shaw added: ‘There will always be a hole in your heart where Philip was but it doesn’t mean you won’t find future happiness.’

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