The body of a Blackbird Leys man who died of a combination of pneumonia and methadone use could have been left for days or even weeks after he died, an inquest has heard.

Simon Lawrence, who has a young son, of Three Corners Road, was found dead by police officers at his Oxford home on September 14, 2006.

Oxford coroner Nicholas Gardiner heard at an inquest at Old County Hall that the 37-year-old's body had decomposed to such an extent that he could only be identified by dental records.

Recording a narrative verdict into Mr Lawrence's death, Mr Gardiner said: "He took methadone at or above prescribed levels and contracted lobar pneumonia from which he died."