Coroner slams Western diets

Tragically, Mr Da Costa died from a heart attack at his home in Horseferry Road on Easter Monday, leaving behind his two sons.

At an inquest into his death on Wednesday, Westminster coroner Dr Paul Knapman revealed that Mr Da Costa was born in Mozambique in 1965.

After moving between England and Portugal, he and his sons settled in England around several years ago.

At around 5am on Easter Monday, his sons went to wake him as they had not heard him getting up for work as usual.

When they discovered he had died overnight, they called the police and ambulance.

Dr Knapman told the court: "This came as a shock to everybody. One minute he was all right, and the next minute he was dead.

"Men of 44 don't very often die suddenly in bed."

A post mortem examination, carried out by Dr Peter Wilkins, revealed Mr Da Costa had taken no drugs or alcohol before he died.

He had complained of swollen fingers and lesions on his ears, causing his GP to diagnose lupus several years ago.

However, what killed Mr Da Costa was a heart attack, as more than half of his main coronary artery was blocked with deposits of fat.

Dr Knapman added: "Coronary artery disease is a disease of Western civilisations, but people who move from Africa or the far East and adopt our diet do become susceptible to this disease.

"Whether he knew it or not, his artery was blocked and he died from a heart attack in the night.

"He had lupus, but actually that probably didn't cause his death.

"He could've had a heart attack at any moment."

In his honour, Westminster Council is planning to plant a tree in St John's Wood.

Mr Da Costa's son Martin said: "Our dad was loved by our family and we're all extremely moved to think that his positive attitude and the way he greeted everyone with a smile has made so many people happy."

Dr Knapman recorded a verdict of death by natural causes.