A teenager died after stabbing himself in the stomach, an inquest heard today (April 6).

Café manager Joshua Williams, 19, was rushed to hospital after the incident at his home in Sutton Courtney, near Abingdon, on November 19 last year, but he died in the early hours of November 20.  

Joshua suffered a cardiac arrest in the ambulance but responded to the efforts of paramedics to resuscitate him.

READ MORE: Retired carpenter shot himself in head, inquest told

He underwent surgery at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Headington, although it was later concluded that there was no more that doctors could do to save him.

Following a post-mortem, the cause of his death was given as an abdominal haemorrhage due to the stab wound.

The inquest heard that police found a bag of Class A drugs in Joshua's bedroom where the wound was inflicted.

The inquest was also told that Joshua had suffered from a history of drug abuse.

After taking the drugs on November 19, Joshua became unresponsive, before starting to threaten his friend and brother with a sword.

He then shut himself in his bedroom and inflicted the stab wound on himself.

But the inquest heard that it was not possible to determine the impact that the drugs would have had on Joshua’s judgement.

Joshua’s father, Simon Williams gave a statement at the inquest.

READ MORE: Amount to be spent by council on ANPR cameras REVEALED

He said: “He [Joshua] was an intelligent and self-confident man.

 “For the first 10 years of his life he was an idyllic son, but he then went a bit off the rails at the age of 16.”

Mr Williams explained that the divorce of Joshua’s parents at the age of seven badly affected him when he reached his late teens.

But there had been no indication that Joshua was suicidal in the weeks leading up to his death and the inquest heard he was enjoying his new job as a barista at a local café.

Senior coroner Darren Salter told the inquest that it was not possible to conclude that the cause of death was suicide as there was no evidence that the wound inflicted was meant to be fatal.

Instead, he gave a narrative conclusion.

The coroner said: “Joshua Williams had a history of drug abuse."

For support, call the Samaritans on 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org.