Man battled addictions before death

A 30-year-old man who battled addiction and depression after suffering a back injury accidentally took an overdose of painkillers, a coroner has ruled.

Levi Lee was found dead in his kitchen in Westree Court, Maidstone on the morning of July 24, having last been seen alive by his mum five days earlier.

An inquest at the Archbishop’s Palace was told Mr Lee had struggled with his mental and physical health since suffering an injury several years ago, which left him with chronic back pain and unable to work.

At times he grappled with a heroin addiction but appeared to have kicked the habit for a number of years before his death, the court heard. However, relatives grew concerned as his contact with them reduced, and when they did see him, they noticed he’d lost a significant amount of weight.

The inquest was told Mr

Lee had overdosed five times previously, but would always call an ambulance afterwards. Coroner Kate Thomas suggested this meant he didn’t intend to end his life.

He also suffered from anxiety and depression and was referred to local mental health services, where it was found he was not at risk of self-harm but there was a high risk of an accidental overdose. When in better health, Mr

Lee spent time as a chef in France and used his skills to help provide meals for the Mind charity.

DC Paul Raines told the court the flat was a mess but there was minimal evidence of drug paraphernalia. A post-mortem found Mr

Lee died as a result of fatal toxic fentanyl consumption but there were also illicit substances including cocaine in his system. An accidental death verdict was recorded.