Pauline Reddick death: Burglary 'probably caused death'
A coroner has said the death of woman who had a stroke was probably linked to a burglary at her Bristol home.
Pauline Reddick, 80, died on the day Liam Cunliffe, 18, and Louis Corbett, 19, ransacked her home in August 2010.
Cunliffe and Corbett are serving 27 and 24 months respectively in young offenders institutions for burglary.
Recording a narrative verdict, assistant deputy coroner Terence Moore said there was no "scientific link" between the burglary and the death.
But he said on the balance of probability, the death and burglary were likely to have been connected.
The pair broke into Mrs Reddick's home in Westbury-on-Trym as part of a burglary spree.
They fled empty-handed after she overheard them.
Hours later Mrs Reddick, who had a history of high blood pressure when in stressful situations, died at Frenchay Hospital near Bristol.
Both Cunliffe and Corbett were cleared of manslaughter.
Judge Neil Ford QC, the Recorder of Bristol, ruled that the pair could not have known of her pre-existing medical condition.
Cunliffe, at the time, boasted on Facebook that he was a "happy bunni" following the decision.
He wrote: "I'm only lookin at six months. Haa. Bring it on. Easy!"
The judge said the pair had "caused the most understandable and extensive offence".