A British doctor who was tortured and died in Syria told his mother life in a notorious prison was like being in a "living grave", his inquest heard today.

Dr Abbas Khan, 32, travelled to the country to treat victims of the civil war but was arrested within 48 hours of entering the country in November 2012.

Dr Khan, who was a research fellow at the Elective Orthopaedic Centre (EOC) at Epsom Hospital until January 2012, was held in captivity until his death on December 16, 2013.

He was found allegedly hanged in a prison cell, just days before his promised release. The Syrian authorities claim he took his own life but his family are convinced he was murdered.

At the Royal Courts of Justice today, his mother Fatima Mahmood spoke about her journey to Syria where she lobbied government officials and embassy staff day after day.

Mother of Epsom doctor found 'hanged' in a Syrian jail cell tells inquest of her mercy mission

She first saw her emaciated son at the Court of Terrorism in August and shortly afterwards he was moved from the notorious Far' Falastin prison to Adra prison.

At the end of August, she was overjoyed to finally visit her son in prison and he told her about the terrible conditions at Far' Falastin.

Mrs Mahmood said: "He told me it was like hell. He said it was like being in a living grave."

The prisoners were crammed into tiny, dark cells which had cockroaches, ants, mice, faeces and urine in them. Guards beat him with a rubber hose during interrogations.

Mrs Mahmood said: "The beatings left him with opening bleeding wounds that became infected."

She said he saw a prisoner beaten and kicked to death and a child, aged just 12 or 13, beaten for crying for his mother. During her prison visit, Mrs Mahmood said he described how he was detained in Aleppo after going out of the hospital and taking a bus to change some money.

She said: "At one point he held his head in his hands and said 'what have I done?'"

The conditions at his new prison were much better - his wounds healed, he started to gain weight and his mother visited each week.

Mrs Mahmood brought him sweets, cashew nuts and money as well as medical supplies so that he could treat other prisoners.

She used to fearlessly travel to the prison in a vehicle which went past bombed out buildings where snipers were hiding. She said: "I wasn’t afraid. I used to even laugh at the bullets."

While living in Syria she said she spent hundreds of pounds on unscrupulous lawyers and was given assurances by judicial and government officials that he would be freed.

But just days before the authorites said he would be released, Dr Khan was found dead. The inquest continues in front of chief coroner Peter Thornton.