In a shocking incident, a man was found dead at his home, killed by his 8-foot long pet python he had kept since it was a hatchling.
Family members of keen snake handler Dan Brandon said that the snake was “his baby” at an inquest hearing.
Brandon died of asphyxiation at his home in Church Crookham, Hampshire, on 25 August 2017, Basingstoke Coroners’ Court was told.
His mother told the court her son kept 10 snakes, along with 12 tarantulas at the family home.
Coroner Andrew Bradley recorded a verdict of misadventure and said after Brandon was killed the snake then hid, probably “because of the shock of him falling or because of his reaction”.
Brandon’s parents, brother and sister were present at the inquest where his mother told the court the snake had loved her son and that Tiny was “his baby”.
She said Brandon had become aware of how strong Tiny had become and had stopped putting her around his neck becasue of the snake’s unpredictable nature.
Pathologist Dr Adman al-Badri said there were no specific signs of strangulation on Brandon’s neck and that his diagnosis of asphyxiation had been reached by exclusion. He said what he found included a haemorrhage behind one eye, plus burst blood vessels, and congested lungs – another sign of asphyxiation.
Dr al-Badri added that Mr Brandon had been fit and healthy at the time of his death and had “no disease whatsoever”.
