A 26-year-old dad was found "cold in his bedroom" after going to sleep and never waking up.
William Donely Jones was found in the bedroom of his own home on King Street in Wallasey on June 2 after it appeared he had fallen asleep. The 26-year-old was found by his mum Sharon after she returned home from work that evening.
An inquest held at the Gerard Majella Courthouse on November 10 heard that before Ms Jones went to work, William had not been "feeling very well". But shortly after her return around 10pm, she found him "cold" in his bedroom.
READ MORE: LIVE: Peter Kay demand at 'all-time high' as fans struggle to get O2 Priority tickets for new tour
The hearing heard how emergency services were called and CPR attempts carried out but the former kitchen worker was pronounced dead at 10.36pm. At his inquest, senior coroner André Rebello said Mr Jones had "fallen asleep" and had likely gone into a coma, such that he "would have stopped breathing unbeknownst to him."
Speaking to his family who attended the court, he said: "He didn't suffer. He didn't die a horrible death, he died in his sleep."
The senior coroner went on to said: "His life is as precious as any other life. His life always has to overshadow that instance of death." Mr Rebello said that "love endures even death" and "the more you love someone, the more it hurts."
The hearing heard how Mr Jones had a "depressive illness" and was "struggling with certain dependency problems". The coroner said: "When someone has dependency, people can be unkind and use unkind terms and personify the illness calling them addicts. Dependency is a normal illness just like any other."
Toxicology results showed no evidence of covid and evidence of prescribed medication at "therapeutic levels" as well as a "slightly elevated level of morphine". He said it is "difficult to know" whether too much medication had been taken or a "higher tolerance" had been developed.
Despite initial results suggesting a consistency with a drug overdose, Mr Rebello said he was "not convinced", taking into account the prescribed medication, the 21 days it had taken for a post-mortem and there being "no evidence he had taken more than prescribed".
He said: "William had been on opiates for some time and therefore would have acquired some tolerance and he may have needed a higher level than most people would normally have."
Mr Rebello went on to say: "This isn't a drug related death. This is an accidental death because he's died while taking medication as prescribed. This will be the inadvertent consequences of such medication."
Concluding a cause of death as misadventure, Mr Rebello said Mr Jones died from morphine toxicity and that his medication "can cause respiratory depression". The coroner added: "When you love someone they become part of you, they adapt you, they alter you. The love continues."
The ECHO previously reported how Mr Jones was a former pupil of The Oldershaw School in Liscard and had a two-year-old daughter. Family friend Paula Harwood said: "Everybody is just devastated and nobody has a bad word to say about Will."
Receive newsletters with the biggest and breaking TV and showbiz news by signing up here
READ NEXT:
Shops shut after 'huge' cordon shuts Bold Street for hours
Live updates from huge police scene after shooting
Dying man's final act was to send a Snapchat selfie to friends
Snapchat pervert sent vile 'spanking' messages to '12-year-old girl'
