Builder died after a night out to celebrate birthday
A MAN celebrating his 21st birthday died after returning home from a night out with his cousin.
Ben Anthony Davies had been out drinking with his cousin Kurtis Pridmore in Porthcawl on October 10 last year as the pair both celebrated their landmark birthdays over that same weekend.
After returning to Long Acre Drive in Nottage, where Ben was living with father Paul, the pair continued to drink until Mr Pridmore returned from the kitchen to discover his cousin unconscious on the floor. Despite performing CPR on Mr Davies, the apprentice builder was later declared dead by paramedics who were called to the property.
An inquest into the death of the former Porthcawl Comprehensive School pupil, held at South Wales
Central Coroners’ Court at Pontypridd, heard Mr Davies had been working for his father’s building business but had been kicked out of his home for his drug use.
He had been homeless as a result for a short while, but had been allowed to return when he “tidied himself up”.
But on the night of his death he and Mr Pridmore had bought some cocaine to share.
Coroner Rachel Knight read police statements to the inquest following their investigation into his death.
She said Paul Davies had left his son and Mr Pridmore drinking in the house while he had gone to the pub, and when he returned the pair had also, but they were both “hyper” and he believed they had taken drugs. After half an hour he left the cousins and went to bed.
Ms Knight said: “Ben was not complaining about feeling ill, and his [Paul Davies] next memory was of paramedics being in the house”.
Mr Pridmore was arrested and told officers Ben was fine one minute and the next he was frothing at the mouth and was unconscious.
Ms Knight said Mr Pridmore, who was later described by officers as appearing to be heavily under the influence of drink or drugs, had attempted to carry out CPR for up to 20 minutes before paramedics arrived.
A post-mortem revealed Mr Davies, in addition to having a high level of alcohol in his system, was also revealed to have have cocaine, as well as cocaine ethylene which is formed when the two substances are taken together, and which is more cardiotoxic.
The medical cause of death was recorded as combined alcohol and cocaine toxicity.
Ms Knight recorded a conclusion of drug and alcohol-related death, and added: “He had been socialising in the previous few hours and was known to have taken a significant amount of alcohol. Alcohol and cocaine were found in his body and it is most likely the combination was fatal on this occasion.
“He had taken a lot of alcohol on board and some cocaine and put together they can have a fatal effect on the heart and I am afraid that is what happened here.
“Clearly Ben was cared for very deeply and his death must have been a dreadful shock for you all”.