THE cause of a retired farm worker’s death has been left open due to insufficient evidence, an inquest has heard.

It is suspected that Hans Gehrmann, who died on November 19 at Huntercombe Hall Nursing Home in Nuffield, Henley, had mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that develops in the lining that covers the outer surface of some of the body's organs. It is usually linked to asbestos exposure.

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An inquest at Oxford’s Coroners Court on December 18 heard that the 84-year-old may have been exposed to asbestos during his working life on farm buildings in the 1970s and 1980s in Oxfordshire.

His medical cause of death was listed as bronchopneumonia, malignant mesothelioma, ischaemic heart disease, and dementia.

However, senior coroner Darren Salter concluded that Mr Gehrmann’s death as an ‘open’ verdict.

An open verdict means that there is insufficient evidence to decide how the death came about – the case is left open in case further evidence appears.

The inquest heard that Mr Gehrmann was born in Germany and was the widower of his wife, Alys, who was a homemaker.

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It is unknown if any future evidence will come to light in regards to the retired farm worker’s death, triggering a future inquest.

An inquest is an inquiry to answer who the deceased was, when and where they died, and the cause of death.