A father found dead in a bedsit had been on the run from Polish authorities, an inquest heard.

Wladyslaf Slowikowski, 50, a Polish national, was discovered dead in Grove Road, Walthamstow on April 13, nearly two weeks after he was last seen by a flatmate.

His “black and bloated” body was discovered along with a crack pipe and burnt foil indicating Class A drug use to investigating officers.

But his cause of death was recorded as unknown after a post-mortem couldn’t find any physical evidence of foul play or reconstruct the internal organs on the badly decomposed body.

There were no injuries, defence marks, or signs of a struggle recorded at the scene which was found in a tidy condition with no signs of forced entry by police.

At his inquest, on Monday (April 3) it was revealed Mr Slowikowski was wanted by Polish police for an unknown judicial matter and had been using a fake passport under the name Zbigniew Sznejder.

An unnamed cousin who was arranging the repatriation of his body revealed to the court that the passport found with the body using the same photo and date of birth was a fake.

The Met police had this confirmed by Polish authorities after they informed them of Mr Slowikowski’s death.

His son is believed to be in prison in Manchester and he has a sister residing “somewhere in Wood Green”, the court heard.

Housemate Waheed Ahmed, who knew Mr Slowikowski as “Jack”, described discovering his body in a statement read out in Walthamstow Coroners court.

He said: “I found my friend dead in his room on April 13.

“We would socialise, drink alcohol and sometimes smoke cannabis although I knew he had heart troubles and was on medication.

“The last time I had seen him was 10 to 12 days previously when he said he was going to visit his sister in Wood Green.

“I had noticed a smell coming from his room for about two days, so I knocked on the door but he didn’t answer. I pushed his door open, which I knew was never locked, and saw him in his bed.

“He was all black and bloated. I didn’t go in and immediately called the police.”

Investigating Officer PC Stephen Hines said he was called to the scene in Grove Road by a “distressed” Mr Ahmed at 5pm.

He said: “We received a report of a sudden death.

“I was immediately greeted with the pungent smell of the deceased. The informant Mr Ahmed warned me it was not a nice sight in the room as his friend had turned black.

“At the rear bed-sit I found the lifeless body of a male lying on his back on a single bed, in front of a breakfast tray with burnt tin foil, which suggested to me the use of Class A drugs.”

Senior Coroner Nadia Persaud recording an open verdict said:

“I cannot see anything that would suggest foul play, there is not enough evidence for any suspicion around the circumstances of Mr Slowikowski’s death.

“There are no visible injuries but I do accept that any evidence is limited by the extent of the decomposition of the body.

“There is not enough evidence to reach any other conclusion than an open verdict.

“I want to pass on the sympathies of the court to the family of Mr Slowikowski.”