Sherlock Holmes expert dies in mysterious circumstances

Mystery surrounds the death of a leading Sherlock Holmes expert who was found in his bed garrotted with a shoelace and surrounded by cuddly toys.

Westminster Coroner's Court heard that Richard Lancelyn Green, 50, who had devoted his life to studying Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's fictional detective, had suffered a "very unusual death".

A wooden spoon had been used to tighten the shoelace around his neck.

The inquest heard that Green, ex-chairman of the Sherlock Holmes Society of London, had become paranoid in the days before his death, telling friends that his home was bugged.

Coroner Paul Knapman said there was insufficient evidence to rule whether Green's death on March 27 was murder, suicide or a mistake.