AN inquest has concluded that the death of an Oxford man found unresponsive at home was ‘drug related’.
Paul Bowdery was found unresponsive at his home address in Herschel Crescent on July 16 last year.
A full inquest into the cause of his death was heard at Oxford Coroner’s Court on February 1 where assistant coroner Joanna Coleman ruled that the 47-year-old’s death was ‘drug-related’.
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The court heard that Mr Bowdery was last seen alive at about 2pm on July 15 by his lodger.
He was found unresponsive a day later in the bathroom by his sister. His legs were blocking the door so she called an ambulance.
Paramedics and police attended but there were no life-saving opportunities.
A number of different drugs and drug paraphernalia were found in Mr Bowdery’s bedroom and the court heard he had been seeking help with his drug use for some time.
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After a post-mortem examination was carried out, the cause of death was confirmed as ‘multidrug toxicity’ after several drugs were found in his system including heroin/morphine, dihydrocodeine, methadone, codeine, diazepam and oxycodone.
Ms Coleman therefore concluded his death as one of ‘drug-related’.
Inquests are held as an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding a death and the purpose is to find out who the deceased person was and how, when and where they died.
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