Man dies charging iPhone while in the bath

A 32-year-old man was fatally electrocuted while charging his iPhone in the bath, an inquest has heard.

Richard Bull suffered severe burns after the mobile phone charger made contact with the water.

His injuries were so bad, his wife Tanya at first thought he had been attacked.

The coroner ruled a verdict of accidental death and said he would be sending a report to Apple in order to prevent further accidents.

According to newspaper reports, Mr Bull is thought to have plugged his charger into an extension cord from the hallway and rested it on his chest while using the phone.

He suffered severe burns on his chest, arm and hand when the charger touched the water and died on 11 December, the Sun reported.

Assistant coroner Dr Sean Cummings, who conducted the inquest at West London Coroner's Court on Wednesday, said he would write a prevention of future death report to send to Apple.

Dr Sean Cummings 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.”