Inquest told man drank two litres of vodka a day

AMAN who drank two litres of vodka a day was found dead at his friend’s flat, an inquest heard.

Christopher Talbot, of Albert Terrace in Bacup, had been staying at his friend’s flat in Darwen for two days when he was found on the living room floor on January 27 of this year.

At Preston Coroner’s Court Assistant Coroner Richard Taylor said Mr Talbot’s friend had gone out for half an hour and when he returned he found him unresponsive.

“He had been alcohol dependent with some previous suicidal thoughts but no previous overdoses,” Mr Taylor said. “On January 27 he was found by a friend in his living room where he was letting him sleep. He had been showing signs of depression and had spent two days at the flat.

“His friend had left for about 30 minutes, returned and found Christopher face down in front of the television unresponsive.”

The inquest heard 43-year-old Mr Talbot had been drinking vodka the day before and was known to drink two litres a day.

A post-mortem CT scan revealed some changes in the right lung with the pathologist stating ‘alcohol can increase the risk of aspiration’ which can result in cardio-respiratory arrest.

Aspiration is a process by which fluid or stomach contents are inhaled into the lungs. This can then cause the heart to stop pumping blood around the body.

The medical cause of Mr Talbot’s death was given as cardio-respiratory arrest and pulmonary aspiration resulting from alcohol toxicity.

In a statement to the coroner’s office his mother Kathleen Talbot said her son had lost his most recent job due to his drinking.

“I always believed that he drank too much,” she said.

“He had been taking cocktails of drugs and alcohol and his last job he was released from due to his drinking.”

The coroner gave a conclusion of misadventure and said that while Mr Talbot, of Albert Terrace in Bacup, would have intended to drink alcohol he would not have intended the consequences.

“It would appear that he had taken drink, that led to aspiration, which led to cardio-respiratory arrest and his death,” Mr Taylor added.