The sister of a man found dead said she would only ever hear from him "'when he was in hospital or custody".
Paul David Moore, 50, was a long-term heroin user and was being treated with methadone. Born in Southport, he shared a house in Regent Road, Chorley, with Jason Phillips, a friend of 30 years.
Paul was found "slumped in the flower bed" on the evening of February 10 this year. Paramedics were called but Paul was pronounced dead at the scene, despite attempts to resuscitate him.
READ MORE: Mum thought she would never be able to walk down street sober
His medical cause of death was found to be multiple drug toxicity. An inquest at Preston Coroner's Court on Thursday (August 4) heard that Paul was seen by his friend earlier that day "looking drowsy and out of it".
Paul, who suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and used a mobility scooter, told Jason he had taken Valium, reports LancsLive.
At the inquest, Assistant Coroner Kate Bisset read from a statement: "Mr Phillips spoke to him at midday and he seemed fine. At 4.30pm he seemed a bit drowsy and out of it. He asked him what he had taken and he said Valium.
"Mr Phillips says he stayed with him for a bit and helped him into his bedroom. He then went upstairs and 10 minutes later says he heard a noise and came downstairs. He says 'I saw him slumped in the flower bed'."
In a statement, Paul's sister Victoria Robinson said her brother had been "a drug user for the majority of his adult life". She added: "We could go 12 months without him being in touch and he would only get in touch when he was in hospital or custody".
A report from substance misuse organisation Inspire revealed that Paul had previously had Hepatitis C. He also suffered from heart failure and the inquest heard that the recent anniversary of his mother's death "may have affected him".
Post mortem toxicology tests found levels of pregabalin in Paul's system which were "within the range encountered in fatalities". There was also evidence of recent cocaine use. Returning a conclusion of a drug-related death, the coroner said: "It is a stark warning to those who use drugs of the risks of returning to substances after a period of abstinence."
READ NEXT:
- 'Sleepy' village in shadow of nuclear plant with no shop or pub
- Man swaps high life for 'charming' seaside town after finding love
- Four jobs, paying up to £30,000, going in Merseyside's 'most beautiful' village
- 'I was weighed down by a secret for 57 years - that's too much for a child'
- Liverpool weather to be hotter than Portugal as sun set to return
