Wigan man with a history of drug problems was turning his life around just before his sudden death

Lee Sedgwick, 47, was described as a "resilient" character who had successfully battled a number of serious health problems, including multi-organ failure which left him needing treatment in intensive care.

An inquest at Bolton Coroners' Court heard that Lee, of Engineer Street, Ince, was found dead shortly after Mother's Day on March 22.

Giving evidence, his mum Carol Unsworth said there was nothing immediately prior to his death that had given her cause for concern.

"He seemed to be in a positive mood and appeared upbeat," she said.

"He was in receipt of personal independence payment (PIP) and had bought a big telly, which he loved watching. He was looking forward to the weather getting better.

"He'd given me some money for Mother's Day and I sent him a picture of me and my meal."

However the family became concerned after they were unable to reach him by phone or text messages.

On the following Wednesday, Lee's brother Kirk went round to his address and forced entry, where he found Lee slumped lifeless on the sofa.

Coroner Stephen Teasdale was told Lee had a long history of drug problems. He had been an intravenous heroin user since the age of 18, but had got clean 10 years ago.

However his use of heroin had left its mark on his health, leading to a range of issues including blood clots in his legs and then in his lungs.

He also had heart problems including pulmonary hypertension and had suffered multi-organ failure, leading to him being treated in intensive care.

Fortunately he survived and was later discharged from Wigan Infirmary.

He was a smoker despite his heart condition, and at the time of his death he was awaiting a double lung transplant.

The coroner heard that Lee was on a number of different medications but had developed an increased dependence on the anti-anxiety drug Valium (diazepam). In addition to the prescribed dose, he had accessed an illicit, stronger form of the drug.

Coroner’s officer Andy Pickles told the court that although Lee’s body was found surrounded by boxes of medication, there was no indication he had taken an overdose and there were no suspicious circumstances to his death.

A post-mortem examination found evidence of cannabis use but no evidence of recent heroin use. He also had compromised lungs and an enlarged heart through chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

The coroner described Lee as a "resilient character" who suffered from an addiction but was doing something about it.

He said his underlying health condition had made him more vulnerable to the toxic effects of the drugs he was taking, which depressed his respiratory system and caused him to pass away in his sleep.

"He made a miscalculation as to the effect of the drugs on his system," added Mr Teasdale.

He concluded it was a drug-related death through a combination of illicit and prescribed drugs.