Homeless man found dead in disabled toilet at Tesco store after using drugs

The shocking discovery was made by a cleaner on the early morning shift at the Tesco Extra store in Leigh town centre on Monday, January 2.

After the alarm was raised, dad-of-six Paul Lafrenz was confirmed dead at the supermarket, just a few days before his 45th birthday.

An inquest held at Bolton Coroners’ Court heard that Mr Lafrenz had slipped into a life of homelessness and drug abuse after the collapse of his marriage.

He had fallen in with fellow drug takers and had no accommodation after being “kicked out” of homeless shelters because of his drug use.

Coroner Prof Dr Alan Walsh read out statements including from family members, which said Mr Lafrenz had two children from his first relationship and four with his subsequent wife. However once this marriage collapsed, he was out on the streets.

The breakdown had affected him badly and his drug use escalated. This included both cocaine and heroin, as well as drinking “cheap strong alcohol.” His friends were in a similar position as him.

The family said the first they knew of the death of Mr Lafrenz was on social media, as they had lost contact with him a few months earlier.

A statement from the store cleaner said she had started her shift at Tesco Extra shortly before 6am on January 2. When she tried to open the door to the disabled customer toilet, she found it was locked.

After fetching a key to open it, she realised there was a man lying face down on the floor and she shouted for help.

The duty manager at the store, James Price, said in his statement he had not been made aware of any issues when he started his shift on the morning of January 2.

He said the store had closed at 5pm the previous day – New Year’s Day – and security guards were responsible for checking the toilets were empty.

Michelle Smith, a support worker at the homeless hub in Leigh, said Mr Lafrenz had been a resident on three occasions since the previous summer.

However, he had been asked to leave because he was smoking drugs. He was last seen there with an unknown male companion on New Year’s Day.

Det Insp Anthony Lunt, of Greater Manchester Police, said an investigation following the death of Mr Lafrenz concluded there were no suspicious circumstances.

“Mr Lafrenz had a history of homelessness and was a known drug user who smoked drugs,” he added.

Dr Walsh said Mr Lafrenz had entered the Tesco store on New Year’s Day and had locked himself in the disabled toilet to use drugs. He died from the toxic effects of heroin and cocaine.

He concluded it was a drug-related death.

He added: “It’s sad to me that a man who probably had the support of his family should have died at the age of 44 in the disabled toilet at Tesco Extra.”