A man who had set out on a camping trip and was waiting to be joined by his stepson was found dead by a dog walker.
Phil Steven Powell, known to his friends and family as Phil Boddy, was a keen camper and had set out on a trip on August 25 last year. He had received some new camping gear on his birthday the previous day, August 24, and was to be joined by his partner Clare Byrne's son.
The 33-year-old found a site close to the canal in Lancaster and had informed her of his location. That day, Phil spoke to a passing dog walker.
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Later on, the same member of the public was passing the site once more when they spotted Phil, who was clearly dead, reports LancashireLive. An inquest held on Wednesday (January 4) at Preston Coroner's Court heard that a post mortem CT scan could find no cause of death.
But toxicology tests revealed that Phil had heroin in his system which, combined with medications he had been prescribed, led to his death. Area Coroner Richard Taylor read extracts of a statement from Ms Byrne, who attended the inquest via video link, in which she explained Phil had previously been on heroin but had been clean for several years.
Mr Taylor told Ms Byrne that although the level of heroin in Phil's system wasn't one typically associated with fatalities if his tolerance had been reduced the combined effect of the drug with medications he was taking can make death more likely. "You say in your statement that you first met Phil at college in Morecambe in 1998 and got together as a couple in 2000," Mr Taylor said.
"You say that around five years into the relationship Mr Powell confessed to you that he had a heroin habit and you made it clear to him that he needed to sort that out. He worked extremely hard on doing that and began a methadone prescription and eventually weaned himself off that. For the past 10 years he had been clean."
The inquest heard that Phil, who was born in Halifax and lived in Aldingham Walk in Morecambe, had several medical conditions and suffered from seizures, migraines and narcolepsy, a rare long-term brain condition that causes a person to suddenly fall asleep at inappropriate times.
Mr Taylor continued reading from Ms Byrne's statement: "You say he was in good spirits and there was no suggestion of self-harm or signs of depression. For some reason he has taken heroin and it has sadly ended his life. He has made the decision to use heroin which it would appear he hadn't done for an awfully long time. In my view that would amount to misadventure; the unexpected outcome of an intended action."
The coroner returned a conclusion of misadventure and said: "Philip Steven Powell was found dead on August 26, 2022, in Lancaster having ingested heroin."
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