Man electrocuted to death while charging his iPhone and using it in the bath

A man died when he was electrocuted while charging his iPhone and using it in the bath.

Richard Bull, 32, was discovered by his wife and had such severe burns to his chest, arm and hand she thought he had been attacked.

He is thought to have used an extension cord running into the bathroom from the hallway then rested the phone on his chest.

When it touched the water it electrocuted him, killing him, at his home in Ealing, West London.

An inquest at West London Coroner’s Court heard that he was pronounced dead on December 11.

Coroner Dr Sean Cummings, who recorded a verdict of accidental death, said: ‘These seem like innocuous devices but can be as dangerous as a hairdryer in a bathroom.

‘They should attach warnings. I intend to write a report later to the makers of the phone.’

His mother told the Sun: ‘I worry so many people, and especially teenagers who can’t be separated from their phones, don’t know how dangerous it is.’

A friend wrote: ‘Richard was a personal friend of mine, and was a pleasure to play both against and with.

‘He would play in any position without giving it a second thought.

‘We became friends when he was captain of OA’s IIs many years ago, as my opposite man.

‘Rugby was one of his loves, and if he wasn’t playing for OAs or we were playing a tournament and he could make it he would turn out for The Exiles.’