Engineer, 23, found dead in gas mask by mother after taking hippy crack
AN AIRCRAFT engineer was killed by so- called hippy crack when he inhaled it in his bedroom, an inquest heard.
Matthew Barnett, 23, suffocated after sniffing laughing gas or nitrous oxide, which is increasingly used as a recreational drug, while wearing a military-style gas mask.
His body was found by his mother, with several empty silver vials close to him and another 24 hidden inside whipped cream canisters in a box in his room.
A post-mortem examination revealed the nitrous oxide had cut off the oxygen supply to his brain, causing death in a matter of seconds. Doctors said it was impossible to say exactly how much Mr
‘It can happen in a matter of seconds’
Barnett, who worked for Thomas Cook at Manchester Airport, had taken, the inquest in Bolton heard.
Last night Mr Barnett’s father Adrian, 56, an electrician, said: ‘It’s so dangerous. This should go out as a warning to people who want to use it, this is how dangerous it can be. I don’t know how they can sell it to people.
‘Matthew enjoyed his life and would have done anything for anyone. He was solid, that’s the best way to describe him.
‘He was a hard worker and very well balanced. He enjoyed his job and had a promising future ahead of him. Matthew had everything to live for.’
Before his death on November 12 last year, Mr Barnett, who lived with his parents in Ashton-inMakerfield, near Wigan, had been helping a friend work on a car while his parents went shopping.
His father said: ‘We came back to the house at 1.30pm and my wife, Dianne, called up to him, but we heard no response. She went upstairs to check on him then all I heard was, “Oh Matthew.” We knew straight away that something was wrong.
‘We took the mask off and cleared his airways. We had no knowledge of him using nitrous oxide.’
Mr Barnett’s partner Oliver Lambley, whom he had been dating for a year, said he had appeared normal on the day of his death, dropping Mr Lambley at work at around 12pm.
‘There was nothing different about his demeanour,’ he said. ‘I know he did partake in the recreational use of drugs, but there was no other use of recreational drugs or illegal drugs [other than nitrous oxide] that I knew of.
‘He knew what was right and wrong for him.’
Pathologist Dr Naveen Sharma confirmed Mr Barnett had been killed by nitrous oxide toxicity.
He said: ‘It offers a euphoric effect to takers and is recreationally used but can cause chemical asphyxiation and is fatal.
‘The body runs on oxygen, once it is starved of oxygen, this causes the brain to swell. As the brain swells this causes asphyxia and the respiratory system breaks down. The body goes into a depression and the organs will shut down. This is irreversible.
‘It can happen in a matter of seconds. He will have not suffered, nor suffered any pain.’
Recording a conclusion of misadventure, Bolton assistant coroner Timothy Brennand said: ‘I am going to eliminate the option of suicide for this conclusion.
‘There were no warning signs of depression or anxiety. He was well liked, solid and dependable. These were unintended consequences of deliberate actions. This is a dangerous gas and can be lethal.’ Speaking to Mr Barnett’s family, the coroner said they had showed the ‘utmost dignity and strength’ during the hearing.
According to latest Government figures, eight Britons were killed by nitrous oxide in 2016, up from four in 2015. Usually consumed via balloons, the gas has been likened to cocaine for the instant hit of euphoria it provides to users.
While it is illegal to sell the canisters for recreational use, they are available online and it is not against the law to buy them.