Peacehaven man died of opiate overdose

A Peacehaven man died of an opiate overdose, an inquest heard today.
Eastbourne Town HallEastbourne Town Hall
Eastbourne Town Hall

Neil Green, of Telscombe Road, died in December aged 56 of a ‘non-dependant abuse of drugs’, a coroner found at Eastbourne Town Hall.

The court heard a post mortem report that said he had suffered brain injury and damage to the respiratory system following an ingestion of methadone.

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A statement from Mr Green’s mother, Rosina Green, who lived with him, said she was woken one night to raised voices.

Mr Green had been spending time with a friend but it became clear that he was unwell around midnight.

She said his sister Bronya Thomas agreed to watch over him and Mrs Green returned to bed.

But then, she was awoken again. The statement said, “I heard a voice say ‘my brother’s dead!’”

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Mr Green had gone into cardiac arrest and was taken to Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton but sadly died on December 19.

Methadone is an opiate prescribed by doctors as a substitute for heroin in treating addiction to the drug.

According to his GP, Mr Green was not an addict and had no history with drugs and there was no record the opiate had been prescribed by doctors.

The amounts in Mr Green’s blood stream were consistent with fatality in a person with limited tolerance to the drug, according to the toxicology report.

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Coroner Alan Craze ruled out a suicide and said it was clear Mr Green had ingested methadone of his own accord.

Offering his condolences to the family, he said, “This is a drugs death. A non-dependant abuse of drugs. This will have been a devastating tragedy for the family.”

For advice and information on the risks of drugs, visit www.talktofrank.com

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