A woman with learning difficulties died from malnutrition after her body weight plunged to four and a half stone, an inquest was told on Tuesday.

Mother-of-one Anne Butterfield was living with a friend when she became so weak that she could not dress herself or move her legs.

She was rushed to Airedale hospital last May, but died three days later despite efforts by hospital staff to save her.

A post mortem revealed that 41-year-old Mrs Butterfield, of Litton-dale House, Whinfield Drive, Braithwaite, died from fluid in the lungs and heart disease due to malnutrition.

The hearing at Bradford Coron-er's Court heard how her weight may have been only four and a half stone.

The inquest was told that Mrs Butterfield had been devastated after the death of her husband seven years ago, suffered from depression and had her daughter taken into care. During the last 16 months of her life she stayed with a friend, spending a lot of her time in the bedroom.

Ann Spencer told the hearing that she cooked all the meals for her family and Mrs Butterfield.

She said: "I didn't see her eat. She had meals in her room but she always came back with an empty plate.

"I thought she was eating."

Mrs Spencer added that they had a dog which slept in Mrs Butter-field's room, and suggested that food might have been thrown out of the window.

She then went on to say that when the bedroom was being cleared a carrier bag containing food was found.

When she noticed that Mrs Butterfield was struggling to talk properly, became confused and started to ask for her late husband, she contacted the doctor.

Coroner Roger Whittaker said: "It seems clear that since the death of her husband in 1992 the bottom dropped out of her life."

He added that Mrs Butterfield was always a 'slight young woman' whose weight was lower than expected.

"The likely proper weight would have been four and a half stone. She was reduced by a third of what may be anticipated."

Coroner Roger Whittaker recor-ded a verdict of death from natural causes, to which self neglect contributed.

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