Dead man had taken "cocktail of drugs"

However, an inquest at Bury heard how Paul Thomas Burrows took a cocktail of prescription drugs and heroin which caused his death in September last year.

The hearing on Friday (Jan 18) was told how the 36-year-old's general appearance began to deteriorate when he started a new relationship in 1993.

His mother, Mrs Maureen Merchant said: "In that relationship, when Paul visited me, he was clearly letting himself go. He was scruffy, unshaven. When we had an argument, Paul threw a brick through our car window. I suspected then he was on drugs."

The relationship broke down in 1995 when the girl's father assaulted Mr Burrows who was hospitalised for some time afterwards. It was during his recovery that he began to experience paranoid schizophrenia. He was admitted for psychiatric care where he was diagnosed with post traumatic stress syndrome as a result of the beating. Mrs Merchant said: "Paul received a large compensation award for the assault. We saved half for him and he spent the rest pretty quickly. He told us that he would never get involved in drugs again. "

By June 2000, the former electrician and salesman was living in a Salvation Army hostel in Blackburn and had began taking heroin again. A year later he moved to a guesthouse in Walmersley Road, Bury, where fellow residents were aware he was injecting amphetamines and heroin.

Radcliffe born and bred, Mr Burrows was last seen on the evening of September 12, of last year, and his body was discovered lying crouched in a ball on the floor.

A post mortem revealed he had taken a cocktail of prescribed drugs and a small amount of heroin.

Coroner Mr Barrie Williams, however, said he did not believe Mr Burrows had intentionally taken a lethal dose of drugs.

Recording a verdict of "accidental death", Mr Williams said: "This tragedy was more or less in keeping with a person who was not attentive to the amount of drugs he had taken.

"He was taking a considerable risk which unintentionally contributed to his death."