Rossendale man died after taking drugs and being dumped out of trolley

Grant Lee Goggins, 33, of no fixed adress, was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder after 11 years of struggling to find help with his mental health.

To deal with the symptoms, he became addicted to drugs such as cocaine, heroin and amphetamines, Accrington Town Hall heard.

On the morning of Thursday, November 10 2022, Grant's body was found by a member of the public next to Metcon Gym on Tong Lane, Whitworth.

Although an employee of the gym, Mr Airey, and other members of the public tried to resuscitate Grant with CPR and a community defibrillator paramedics declared he was dead at the scene at 7.20am.

Police conducted an investigation and found CCTV footage of two men, named Graham Lomax and Stephen Porter, transporting Grant's body in a shopping trolley close to where he was found.

The footage also showed the men emptying the trolley and dumping Grant's body onto the ground, before fleeing the scene at 3am.

Detective Inspector Mark Saunders, of Lancashire Police and who was also present at the inquest, said when police arrested the men later that day, they both answered 'no comment' to the interrogation.

He said: "Not only was this an immoral act to do, the fact that they also did not conceal his body to the public is a shocking and abhorrent thought."

Dr Charles Wilson, Home Office forensic pathologist for the North West, told the court that in Grant's post-mortem examination, high levels of multiple drug toxicity and lack of external wounds meant that it was more than likely that Grant died due to the amount of drugs he consumed rather than suspicious circumstances.

However, Dr Wilson also told the court that although Grant may not have been saved if he had been taken to hospital, he was sure that Grant was still alive at the start of the CCTV footage.

He said: "I believe he was not dead when he left the trolley, and he could have got an antidote or treatment to reverse the effects of the drugs.

"It would have given him a better chance, but I cannot say if he was at the point of no return or not."

Although police arrested Mr Lomax and Mr Porter, they were not charged as DI Saunders told the court the men had not committed a crime.

He said: "I spoke to the Crown Prosecution Service about Mr Lomax and Mr Porter as it seems to be of criminal threshold, but as they did not have designated care for Grant, they are not held liable.

"You would think in this day and age there would be a criminal act over that but there is not."

Mr Porter and Mr Lomax were asked to attend court, but only Mr Lomax was present.

He was asked why the pair dumped Grant on Tong Lane, and he replied and said "I thought he was dead."

Mr Lomax continued: "If I thought he was alive I would have called an ambulance immediately.

"I had been taking heroin myself so I do not remember most of the night from when Mr Porter brought him to my flat to when I was being spoken to by the police."

Grant's sister, Jessica Goggins, asked why Mr Lomax did not ring an ambulance, but he insisted he thought he was dead.

Paying tribute to Grant, Jessica said: "His Christian faith was important to him and he was really into his music, having been accepted into the London Institute of Music.

"He was extremely generous but he was in and out of services for the last 12 years and struggled a lot."

Grant's family told the inquest he had previously served time in the army. 

Coroner Kate Bisset gave a narrative conclusion of death as consumption of drugs from mental health trauma.

She said: "Grant was not shown the same heart that he showed others when he was alive.

"He was not taking drugs as a lifestyle, he was taking them to forget about his trauma such as his stillborn baby and bi-polar diagnosis, which is why I am reluctant to record this as a drugs-related death.

"You seem like a lovely family and it is very hard to be there for people with addictions, so please look after yourself now."