A British samurai sword expert killed himself with his own weapon following the ritualistic suicide tradition of ancient Japanese warriors.

Divorcee Alun Jones fell on his samurai sword in an act of 'hara-kiri' and bled to death on the floor of his bedroom in Newport, South Wales.

The 51-year-old began collecting the blades after spending many years working in Japan.

Alun Jones committed suicide by stabbing himself in the stomach in a ritualistic suicide associated with Japanese samurais

He was found dead in June this year by his mother Margaret lying on top of the sword with his arms above his head.

He had been staying with her on one of his regular holidays back home to Britain from Japan where he worked in a shop selling the weapons.

An inquest into his death heard Mr Jones was 'not his usual self' on his trip back home to Gwent.

The divorcee sent his weapons off to an expert in London before fatally stabbing himself in the stomach

His sister Marianne Caulfield told the inquest: 'For many years he had lived abroad and when he came home he would go out visiting friends.

'But this time he had lost weight and spent most of his time in his bedroom.

'He had a collection of samurai swords and had developed an interest in the samurai tradition.'

A few hours before he was found dead he was seen by a neighbour asleep on a sofa with an open book of family photos next to him.

Det Con Rhys Williams told the inquest that Mr Jones had fallen forward on a mattress on the bedroom floor with the sword protruding from his body after stabbing himself in the stomach.

He said: 'Mr Jones had a passion for samurai swords.'

Jones was seen sleeping on a sofa next to a family photo album shortly before he committed suicide in Newport

He had sent them to a specialist in London for work to be done on them and had received them back shortly before killing himself.

The inquest heard that Mr Jones had died from lacerations to the heart and liver.

Senior coroner David Bowen said: 'He had a collection of samurai swords which he sent to a specialist in London and had been returned days before he was found dead.

'He was found with the samurai sword underneath his body and I am satisfied it was self-inflicted.

'In Japan the samurai tradition is called hara-kiri. In this country, it is suicide.'

Family of the samurai sword expert said he was behaving out of character and had lost weight when he returned home from working in Japan