A man with a history of alcohol dependency tragically set himself alight for no apparent reason, just four months after his girlfriend had done the same to him, an inquest into his death has heard.

David Pedrick-Lobb died in the specialist burns unit at Morriston Hospital in Swansea, Wales, days after setting himself on fire at a flat in Frogpool - situated between Redruth and Penry, in Cornwall.

He shared the apartment with his girlfriend Danielle Allen and the flat's owner Philip Rowley, whom they had met at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting years earlier and considered as a father figure.

The inquest into the 42 year old's death, held in Truro on Wednesday (October 22), heard how on January 24 last year, the Truro-born man, who lived in St Austell, was found "engulfed in flames from head to toe" by his terrified partner less than an hour after they had a row during which she ended their relationship.

The court heard their friend, Mr Rowley, was awoken around 2.30am by Ms Allen's terrified screams. He tried to extinguish the flames that covered most of Mr Pedrick-Lobb's body, torso and face using two fire extinguishers before he and Ms Allen managed to get him into the shower and douse him with cold water while emergency services were called.

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In a statement read out in court, Mr Rowley said he had no idea why his friend would set himself on fire but mentioned that he had made "silly comments" like that in the past, reports Cornwall Live.

He said there had been an argument between Ms Allen and Mr Pedrick-Lobb that evening and both had been drinking.

About Mr Pedrick-Lobb, he said: "He was a nice guy when he was clean and sober but that was not very often." He also said that when he asked him why he had done it as he held him in the shower under cold water, Mr Pedrick-Lobb apparently nodded his head.

Mr Rowley, himself a recovering alcoholic, added: "It was like he was ashamed of it. That's how I know he did it. I think he did it because Danielle ended the relationship."

The inquest heard how paramedics, firefighters from three stations and police attended the incident.

Firefighters had to carry an unconscious Ms Allen out of the flat after she had a seizure while paramedics took Mr Pedrick-Lobb to the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro, from which he was later airlifted to Swansea where they have a specialist burns unit.

The inquest was told that Mr Pedrick-Lobb suffered third degree burns to 58 per cent of his body including his torso, arms and face.

His burns were so extensive that despite treatment he developed infections as a result and died on February 7.

However it was not the first immolation incident Mr Pedrick-Lobb had been a victim of.

In September 2023, while Mr Pedrick-Lobb and Ms Allen stayed in a flat in Hayle days after he had been released from police custody, she was said to be so enraged that he may have ratted on her to the police over allegations of domestic abuse at her hands that she poured alcohol on him and threw a lighter causing burns to about nine per cent of his body.

In conflicting statements Mr Pedrick-Lobb made to paramedics at the time, he said he had taken the blame for an assault she may have caused on another person and she burnt him.

Yet in a separate chat with other paramedics taking him to hospital after an ambulance was called to that address, he said he had been released from police custody, had gotten drunk and had probably fallen asleep and poured bandy over himself while smoking a cigarette.

On this occasion, Mr Pedrick-Lobb was taken to Treliske then transferred to Derriford in Plymouth and onto the burns unit in Bristol where he received skin grafts.

Ms Allen was arrested in connection with the September 2023 incident but Mr Pedrick-Lobb did not press charges and no evidence was forthcoming so she was released.

After his death in January last year toxicology samples were done and Mr Pedrick-Lobb was found to have taken illicit drugs including ketamine, morphine and cannabis as well as alcohol.

Senior coroner for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, Andrew Cox, said both Mr Pedrick-Lobb and Ms Allen had been alcoholics for many years with alcohol bringing out the 'worst in them'.

He said the evidence showed it was more likely Ms Allen had set Mr Pedrick-Lobb on fire while he was asleep during the first incident in 2023 but it was more likely he had done it to himself four months later in the separate incident.

Mr Cox said: "It's more likely than not that the first incident in September 2023 resulted from Danielle's actions but it is not relevant to Dave's death in February 2024.

"I suspect there was an argument between them after both Dave and Danielle had both been drinking.

"There is a suggestion that Danielle told him she was pregnant and had ended their relationship. It is plausible.

"It is more likely than not that for whatever reason he poured white spirit over himself and set fire to himself.

"His death came as a result of his own actions." Mr Cox said none of the evidence pointed towards a suicide.

He added: "Dave acted impulsively and didn't think through the consequences of his actions.

"It is difficult to understand why he did it but it happened after he had been drinking.

"It was a spur of the moment action but he didn't intend to take his own life.

"I'm not clear what his intention was." Mr Cox recorded an open conclusion.