A CORONER is to call in the police after the inquest of a death plunge father was told he had an rare illegal hallucinatory drug in his blood -- and somebody else may have injected it.

Paranoid schizophrenic Mahfooz Hussain, 33, had taken or been given the veterinary drug ketamine before he fell to his death from the car park above Nelson bus station in front of taxi drivers and passers by. His psychiatrist told the hearing the drug brought on schizophrenia and would have made Mr Hussain's condition far worse.

Dr Michael Launer said ketamine was very rare and he had not known it to be on the streets of this area.

East Lancashire Coroner David Smith said he was very concerned about the drug, which also led to delusions, and the effect it may or may not have had on Mr Hussain's mental state.

He said he would be asking the police to make investigations and would be making further enquiries with the pathologist to see if an intravenous injection mark on Mr Hussain's left arm was caused when paramedics tried to resuscitate him after the fall.

The inquest heard how factory worker Mr Hussain, of Lune Street, Colne, whose moods swung from elation to depression, died on February 21 in Burnley General Hospital from multiple injuries, despite a battle by medical staff to save him. He had been discharged from hospital just weeks before under a supervision order after earlier before being detained under the Mental Health Act.

Mr Hussain had been plagued by mental illness for many years during which time he had taken a knife and planned to kill his wife and daughter and starved himself.

Mr Smith adjourned the inquest to a date to be fixed.