Man found dead on sofa after playing on Xbox, inquest told

AMAN was found dead at home hours after playing on his Xbox with a friend, an inquest has heard.

Simon Lee Shanks was found unresponsive on the sofa at his home in Glebe Road, Loughor, on October 19 last year. The night before the 43-year-old and his friend had stayed up until around midnight to play on an Xbox before his friend went upstairs to bed.

The inquest, held at Swansea Guildhall yesterday, heard that the following morning Mr Shanks’ friend had gone downstairs at around 11.40am and found him “still on the sofa, in a sitting position, still clutching the Xbox controller”.

Paramedics and police were called to the property but he was pronounced dead at 12.15pm.

South Wales Police PC Ben Evans told the inquest: “Simon’s friend said that he had not taken any drugs the night before to his knowledge. Simon normally slept on the sofa downstairs.

“Officers did not find any evidence of drug use. There were no signs of a disturbance or forced entry. While Simon’s death was not suspicious it was unexplained.”

Mr Shanks previously began “drinking heavily” and suffered with mental health issues after his relationship broke down however the inquest heard that he had gone “seven years without taking anything”.

A post-mortem report found that

Mr Shanks had a thickening of the heart while a toxicology report found “therapeutic levels” of prescribed medication as well as levels of methadone, cocaine, and morphine. The inquest heard that Mr Shanks had also “used or been exposed to” cannabinoids.

Recording a drug-related death conclusion, acting senior coroner for Swansea and Neath Port Talbot Colin Phillips said: “He died on October 19, 2020, at Glebe Road in Loughor as a consequence of an unintentional overdose.”