A troubled IT trainer with a history of mental health problems who became addicted to prescription painkillers took his own life at his home after becoming 'overwhelmed', an inquest has heard.
Lee Midgley, 37, was found dead by his long-time partner Mark Powell at the home they shared in Lower Broughton, Salford, on November 12, 2022.
An inquest into his death heard that he had become addicted to strong painkiller codeine and, at the time of his death, he had amphetamine and methamphetamine in his system.
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His partner of 17-years Mark Powell told Bolton Coroners' Court yesterday (Tuesday) that Wigan-raised Mr Midgley, when aged 25, won a scholarship to study dance at a performance arts school which led to work in pantomime and as a children's entertainer. He also volunteered as a cheerleading coach.
The couple were to marry but the Covid pandemic as well as physical and mental health problems disrupted their plans, the court was told.
Mr Midgley went private to get a diagnosis for ADHD 18 months before his death but when he went to the NHS for an assessment this 'never happened', said Mr Powell, who blamed the failure of NHS professionals to previously diagnose ADHD for his partner's addiction to codeine 'for many years'.
Mr Powell told the inquest his partner's deterioration also led him to use amphetamines and more recently crystal meth, adding that two years before his death Mr Midgley had suffered a breakdown which featured paranoia, 'frantic behaviour' and hallucinations in which his partner said he could hear voices.
Instead of making him high, the amphetamines 'calmed him down', he told the inquest. Medication he was prescribed left him 'like a zombie' and he frequently suffered headaches, said Mr Powell.
His partner also struggled to cope with the deaths of his mother and father, the inquest heard. He said his partner 'went private' to get an ADHD diagnosis and the medication he later received made him feel better initially, the court heard.
On the day of his partner's death, Mr Powell told the court he received a call from Mr Midgley and when he called back 12 minutes later there was no answer. He went home and found his partner 'unresponsive'.
He said he attempted to resuscitate Mr Midgley until paramedics arrived but he was pronounced dead at the scene. Mr Powell told the coroner he wasn't sure whether his partner wanted to end his life or whether it had been a 'cry for help'. He said his partner 'would have known' he would be on his way home.
Dr Jessica Greaves, of Lower Broughton Health Centre where Mr Midgley was registered, listed the number of times he was prescribed codeine, often through 'Zapain' tablets with combine codeine and paracetamol.
He registered with the practice in 2014 but medical notes said he had been prescribed codeine at his previous GP practice also, according to the doctor.
Mr Midgley was prescribed 56 codeine tablets every month throughout 2014 and he was prescribed more the following year when he complained of pain from a pulled muscle.
He returned for more in 2016 when he suffered ankle pain, and he received 100 tablets per month for eight months that year, the inquest heard.
Concerned doctors reviewed his use of codeine at the end of the year and it appeared to stop but it resumed in 2018 when he complained of pain caused by a boil. Towards the end of 2018 he was prescribed more, some 100 tablets per month over a four month period, after he fell and injured his face.
In 2019 he was prescribed more codeine although at a lower strength to treat pain caused by stomach cramps, the inquest was told. When he suffered bowel problems later that year he went back to the GP and requested more codeine but was told this was not an appropriate treatment and warned codeine was addictive, according to Dr Greaves. He was given other medication to treat the bowel problem.
In 2021 he complained of pain in his hips and he was given a 'one-off' prescription for codeine. The inquest heard Mr Midgley was referred for help for addiction to codeine.
Consultant psychiatrist Dr Matthew Miller, an associate medical director of mental health care in Salford and Trafford, confirmed Mr Midgley has been referred for help with addiction to codeine. He said treatment for ADHD from the trust had been available but it 'went offline' to residents in Salford from 2021. He said 'unfortunately' the trust now offered no ADHD treatment.
Det Insp Georgina Fearn tod the court she found no suspicious circumstances when she investigated the death.
Police found an undated 'very personal' note written by Mr Midgley to his partner which 'indicated his intention to take his own life', although that 'was not necessarily the only interpretation', Bolton area coroner Peter Sigee said.
He concluded Mr Midgley's death 'was caused by his self-suspension from a ligature which he had placed around his neck while overwhelmed by mental illness'.
Last year, Mr Powell paid an emotional tribute to his partner, telling the M.E.N: "Everyday he would put on this happy and cheery front, but behind closed doors it was different."
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