A hospital patient who died after being wrapped in two duvets to restrain him was still severely overheated six hours after his death, an inquest heard.

William Thurgood, known to his family as Billy, died on July 4, 2000, aged 42.

The inquest was told Billy, who had severe behavioural problems, had been restrained using a method known in the hospital as "the duvet technique".

Consultant psychiatrist Patrick Tyrer, the doctor in overall charge of Billy's care, told the hearing he would use the restraint technique again.

Billy was a patient at Prudhoe Hospital in Northumberlad and had been wrapped up in two duvets off-and-on from 8pm to 3am, until he fell asleep, in a bid by nurses and care assistants to stop him self-harming.

At around 6.30am, staff who went to check on him found his breathing was shallow. They attempted to resuscitate him when it stopped altogether, but he was pronounced dead at 7am.

Pathologist Dr Nigel Cooper, who examined Billy six hours after his death, said yesterday his temperature was still 42C - five degrees above normal body temperature.

"When the body goes above 41C it really can't cope," said Dr Cooper yesterday. In his evidence, when asked if he would support the use of that type of restraint again, Dr Tyrer told the inquest: "Absolutely".

The method used to restrain Mr Thurgood before his death was described to an inquest in Hexham, Northumberland, on Wednesday.

Ward manager Pamela Knox told the inquest that a duvet was laid out on the ground and Billy - who had a mental age of around six and severe behavioural problems - was rolled up into it, face down, with his arms outside, to prevent him causing self-harm to his body.

A second duvet was then placed across Billy from shoulder level so he could not move his arms to scratch his face. A pillow was placed under his head to stop him banging it against the floor.

The method was introduced for Billy - who had been admitted to the hospital's Brinkburn Ward aged five - in February 2000, after his behaviour deteriorated.

Although the technique had been used on adolescents previously, Prudhoe Hospital is thought to have been the only hospital across the country which has used it for adults. The tribunal heard that staff had undergone training on restraint techniques - and the duvet technique was described in Billy's risk assessment note - but they never had specific training on how to administer it.

"We would try everything else to calm him down first," said Mrs Knox. "Billy's behaviour was severely challenging, but you could not help but love him. He was a character.

But, it was necessary to restrain him to protect him from self harm and to protect staff and other patients."