An Italian woman visiting relatives in Milton Common died after falling down stairs.

Bruna Weaver, 82, a retired singer from Genoa was visiting her nephew, Dr Andrew Weaver, and his wife Helen, in December last year.

An inquest in Oxford heard yesterday that Mrs Weaver, a widow, got up early on December 23 and fell down the stairs.

Dr Helen Weaver, a GP, said she was woken at 4.30am and heard what she thought was someone falling down the stairs.

Dr Weaver, of Old London Road, Milton Common, near Thame, said she and her husband found Mrs Weaver lying at the bottom of the stairs with her legs up against the wall.

She said: "Her pupils were rolling back and I was worried that this was about to result in a cardiac arrest."

Mrs Weaver died at the scene. The inquest heard that she died from a combination of broken ribs and a blow to her head.

Dr Weaver said that to reach the bathroom Mrs Weaver would have had to turn right when leaving her bedroom, as the stairs were directly in front of the bedroom door.

Oxfordshire Coroner Nicholas Gardiner said: "If she was going to the bathroom her bedroom light would have shadowed the area where she was to walk. It would have been easy to go straight instead."