Inquest hears how years of drug use took their toll

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A man with a history of drug misuse and overdoses died from a haemorrhage, an inquest heard.

David Hooper, 26, was found dead outside a wooden cabin which he called home in The Street, Boughton- under-blean, on April 21.

Mr Hooper’s cabin was at the bottom of a large garden where he had been allowed to stay.

A 14-year-old boy, who lived at the address, found Mr Hooper slumped on some decking and immediately called for help, but he could not be saved.

Assistant coroner Christine Freedman read out a review of Mr Hooper’s medical notes at the factfinding hearing yesterday (Wednesday).

His GP Dr Lanker had recorded that Mr Hooper had a long history of mental health problems and that he used heroin, cocaine, ketamine and speed. He also drank alcohol daily and had overdosed on heroin in the past.

Mr Hooper had attended appointments with Turning Point, a substance misuse service, several times.

A police report from Sgt James Baker, who was called to the scene, said: “It was a large garden with children’s toys in it.

“Most of the occupants were away at the time of death. The deceased had been living there between two to three years.

“He was known for drinking a lot and he had overdosed so many times before.”

There was an empty packet of syringes in his pocket, but it was cocaine that contributed to his death by weakening his blood vessels, the inquest heard.

Shortly before he died, Mr Hooper was admitted to Kent & Canterbury Hospital after an overdose of heroin left him unconscious.

After recovering and speaking to a psychologist, Mr Hooper was given lifestyle advice and was taken home by an ambulance. He died the next day. Pathologist David Wright gave a cause of death as a haemorrhage after finding a significant amount of blood around the brain stem and said that cocaine was a contributing factor.

He said: “The toxicology evidence showed drug use, such as a significant amount of morphine which can come from heroin.

“The amount of alcohol in his blood showed that he was approximately twice over the drink-driving limit. There is also evidence of cocaine, although he hadn’t used it immediately before he died.”

Coroner Mrs Freedman said: “There has been a long history of abuse of drugs and alcohol.

“The suspicion was that it was another drug overdose, but this was not the case. He died of a haemorrhage, contributed to by the long-term use of cocaine which weakens the blood vessels.

“I am therefore going to conclude in the long-run that this was a drug-related death.”

David Hooper died at a house in Boughton-under-blean