Wife of dead British surgeon: He was my whole life

By Emma Murphy: ITV News Correspondent

The wife of a British surgeon who died in a Syrian prison received a text from him saying he was fine and he loved her shortly before he was detained by the Syrian authorities in November 2012.

In a statement read to the inquest into Dr Abbas Khan's death, his wife Hannah described how her husband was, "my whole life, my family, best friend and love."

In the months of his detention they had planned how they and their two children would enjoy their lives together when he was eventually freed.

However he was eventually returned in a coffin after his body was discovered in a cell. The Syrian authorities said he had hanged himself, the family believe he was killed.

In a statement telling of the phone call informing her that her husband was dead, Mrs Khan said: "It did not take my heart a second to imagine my life falling into ruins.

"The emptiness, pain and worry all consumed me at once.

"How can one person be the whole world but when that one person is gone the whole world becomes tasteless and meaningless."