Man’s killer addiction

A 29-YEAR-old's life was cut short by drug addiction, an inquest heard on Friday.

Richard Sawyer, of Somerset Road, Wyton, had suffered several addictions since his early teens.

He died in his father's house in High Street, Haddenham, on May 26.

His father, James, told the inquest on Friday that he awoke to find his son kneeling by his bed, with a syringe by his head, at about 4am.

He called emergency services and tried to carry out resuscitation while taking instructions over the telephone, but paramedics arrived and pronounced him dead at 5.20am.

Mr Sawyer said his son had told him he had stopped taking heroin and started a methadone programme in 2004. However, he regularly found syringes in his bedroom.

Richard Sawyer's doctor, Dennis Cox, said that his patient had been dependent on drugs since 1989. He said Richard regularly took heroin, cocaine, LSD and marijuana and also had alcohol problems. He had a bipolar disorder (a psychiatric condition), and had also been treated for heart problems two years ago.

Pathologist Graeme Maidment carried out the post-mortem examination.

He said: "Several fresh needle wounds were found in the left arm and in the back of his left foot, and there were multiple needle scars all over his body.

"There was also an amount of morphine in Mr Sawyer's body that was in the range to be fatal. Alcohol and anti-depression drugs were in the body, but not excessive amounts, and there were traces of cocaine.

"Mr Sawyer may have had a fatal reaction to heroin or morphine. The post-mortem examination results are not conclusive, but on the balance of probability I believe the effects of the morphine killed him."

Coroner William Morris stated the cause of death to be the effects of morphine and recorded a verdict of death from an abuse of drugs.