Oswestry father overdosed on morphine

The sudden death of Thomas Paul Pritchard came as a shock to friends, family and neighbours, as the 29-year-old was discovered dead in his Oswestry home by police, after a neighbour raised concerns.

Now an inquest into his death, held at Shrewsbury Coroners Court at Shirehall on Thursday, has revealed the cause of death was from a toxic level of opiates – thought to be morphine.

Joanne Lees, assistant coroner for Shropshire, said a post mortem had been carried out by consultant pathologist Dr Nicholas Green, with a report from forensic toxicologist Christopher Madden.

She said: "In his system was found opiates, alcohol, prescription drugs and non-prescription drugs. That included high levels of morphine."

She said he had developed medical problems in his early 20s including seizures and varicose veins, the latter causing him pain for which he was prescribed drugs, and he had met with his GP earlier in December to discuss his level of medication.

However, she said, his mother Jane Pritchard had told her he was in a stable relationship with two young children and "in the weeks leading up to his death he had been looking forward to Christmas and spending it with his family."

But on December 13, a female police officer entered his home Beatrice Street and found Mr Pritchard in the bathroom, already deceased.

"She tells me that he had had contact with a neighbour the previous evening and they had expressed concerns about the level of medication he was taking," Mrs Lees said.

She concluded: "I accept the cause of death provided by Dr Green.

"There is no evidence he intended to take his own life as he was looking forward to Christmas.

"There is no suggestion of any third party being involved in Mr Pritchard's death and it is very likely that he took the medication himself.

"He had developed an addiction to prescription drugs and was self-medicating, and that resulted in a huge overdose," she said.

She recorded a verdict of death by misadventure.