A MENTALLY-ill pensioner probably died of dehydration and lack of food after the elder brother who cared for him suffered a heart attack at the home they shared.

Harold Sawbridge devoted his life to looking after his brother Charlie in their Malvern home.

But an inquest heard yesterday that the death of 83-year-old Harold probably led to the death of Charlie, 80, a schizophrenic with chronic anaemia.

The brothers' bodies were discovered on Wednesday, August 8, after neighbours grew concerned for their welfare.

Police were called after the body of Harold was found in the downstairs bathroom of their home in Pound Bank Road.

"We went into the house and there was an unpleasant sickly smell," said Det Con Peter Morgan.

"We found Harold leaning over the bath. There was a reddy-brown liquid in the bath, toilet and in a bucket. He may have been sick."

He told the inquest another officer discovered Charlie's body lying on a mattress upstairs, wearing wearing only a vest and pyjama top.

"There was human excrement around and a discarded incontinence pad was found by the bedroom door. A new pad had been opened up and put on the kitchen table, " said DC Morgan.

The inquest, at Kidderminster Town Hall, heard that Harold had qualified as a psychiatric nurse.

"He made a promise to his mother that he'd look after Charlie," said relative Peter Sawbridge, who lives in Devon.

The inquest heard that Harold died from heart disease.

"He was found in a position that suggests he died very suddenly," said Dr Geoff Smith, a pathologist.

"There was evidence of an enlarged heart and an aortic aneurism. The heart was enlarged due to high blood pressure and there was severe narrowing of the blood vessels. He had a cardiac episode prior to death. This can cause vomiting and is consistent with a cardiac death."

He said Charlie died of dehydration and inanition - exhaustion due to lack of food.

He was doubly incontinent and was considered to be unable to look after himself. He was also a recluse.

Worcestershire Coroner Victor Round concluded that, due to evidence of shopping receipts and milk deliveries, Harold had probably died on or around Thursday, July 19.

"Harold must have died first otherwise he would have been raising the alarm about Charlie. I'm satisfied Charlie died afterwards," said Mr Round.

"Charlie died from dehydration and inanition as a result of the death of his brother-carer. Harold died of natural causes."