Wigan dad faced 'enduring risk' of overdose before his death from cocktail of drugs

Christopher Ward, 44, was found dead in his flat in Ince on November 8 by relatives who were concerned that they had not heard from him for several days.

An inquest at Bolton Coroner’s Court heard he had taken a variety of prescribed and illicit drugs, including cocaine, heroin, methadone, diazepam and pregabalin.

A post-mortem examination concluded the dad of three died from mixed drug toxicity.

Mr Ward, who was one of 14 siblings, faced many issues during his life which led to him taking drugs as a coping mechanism, the court heard.

He used a variety of substances, though these exacerbated his symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia.

But in the weeks before he died, his family said he gained weight and was making efforts to kick his drug habit.

In a statement read by the coroner, Mr Ward’s brother-in-law Elliot Shaw said: “He was the nicest man you could ever meet, especially when he wasn’t affected by the drugs he was addicted to. They had a very strong hold on him and sadly took his life. He is going to be very sadly missed by everybody.”

Team leader Ann-Marie Robinshaw said Mr Ward had been with drug and alcohol service We Are With You since July 2020 for opiate dependency and was undergoing his eighth episode of treatment.

He was prescribed 70ml of methadone daily to replace his heroin use and was supervised when he took it at a pharmacy.

Mr Ward was discussed at “huddle” meetings by both addiction and mental health staff in July and October 2022, but it was decided he did not need more structured support, particularly as he did not always engage.

Diane Shepherd, a senior nurse practitioner based at Wigan police station and employed by the NHS, said she spoke to Mr Ward in May after he threatened to self-harm.

He faced financial pressures, was struggling to get anti-psychotic medication from his GP and was keen to engage with services to address his issues, she said.

Hayley Ainscough, clinical lead for the recovery team, said her service made many attempts to work with Mr Ward and it was not possible to say if his tolerance to drugs had decreased as he did not always engage.

Concluding Mr Ward’s death was drug-related, senior coroner Timothy Brennand said: “It is possible that he had lost a degree of tolerance, if I am to accept the family evidence at face value.

"But the simple matter of fact is that when individuals decide to ingest a combination of their own prescription drugs and prescription drugs belonging to others, in combination with illicit street drugs and also prescribed substitute drugs of substances such as methadone, it is akin to a game of chemical Russian roulette.

"While I am entirely satisfied he did not intend to bring his life to an end, that was nevertheless an enduring risk he was to face because of his lifestyle choices.”

He said he was satisfied the care provided for Mr Ward by mental health and addiction services was “active and comprehensive”.

Mr Brennand passed on his condolences to Mr Ward’s “caring, loving” family and praised their efforts to support him.