A BENEFIT day binge turned out to be the last drinks for alcoholic Michael Baxter, an inquest heard.

After drinking all day he took prescribed drugs and the two proved a lethal mixture, the hearing was told.

Mr Baxter, 39, of Burnley Road, Accrington, was found dead in his bed the following morning.

Deputy assistant coroner Mr John Birch recorded a verdict that Mr Baxter had killed himself.

The inquest heard that the medical cause of death was thioridazine and alcohol toxicity. A post mortem examination had revealed a high, though not necessarily fatal, amount of thioridazine, but the effects of the drug would have been enhanced by alcohol. The dead man's brother, Kevin Baxter, said Michael was an alcoholic who would spend all his money on drink.

Friends who lived in the same house told how, on the day before his body was discovered, Mr Baxter had been in high spirits as he went to collect his giro.

He had spent the day drinking and John England said he saw his friend at 7pm when he was much the worse for drink.

Mr England said he and Mark Dale had taken Mr Baxter to bed. Mr Dale said that in the evening Mr Baxter was drunk and had been crying and saying he missed his mum.

He said he wanted to kill himself.

Mr Dale revealed that he had taken some tablets off Mr Baxter and taken his door key from him before putting him to bed.

Alan Crawshaw, who also lived at the house in Burnley Road, said Mr Baxter had come to his room at about 6pm.

He said he was very depressed and felt like killing himself, before showing Mr Crawshaw a handful of tablets.

The inquest was told that Mr Baxter suffered severe alcohol dependence and had received regular treatment at Queen's Park Hospital psychiatric unit.

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