Newbury man's alcohol and drug-related death ruled accidental
A 39-year-old man from Newbury died from a mix of alcohol and drug intoxication with hepatic steatosis (also known as fatty liver) an inquest heard on Wednesday, February 15.
Senior Berkshire coroner Heidi Connor found that James Hewitt-Jones, who had a history of alcohol and drug abuse and mental health issues, did not take his life intentionally.
Mr Hewitt-Jones, who was described as “kind, funny and loud” by his three children, was found dead in his London Road home on February 15, 2022, with his bags packed to attend a rehabilitation centre in Cardiff.
He had traces of alcohol, cocaine, methadone and cannabis in his system, but it was determined that none of these substances were taken to cause death. His death was ruled an accident.
The post mortem examination found that Mr Hewitt-Jones had 76mg of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood in his system when he died, which is below the legal driving limit of 80mg.
However, he was known to drink a litre plus of vodka a day, which likely led to the fatty liver which was a contributor to his death.
The inquest heard that Mr Hewitt-Jones called an ambulance to his home on the afternoon of February 10, just days before his death, after he woke up shaking in the early hours of the morning.
He was transported to the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading, and during the journey he told paramedics that he felt as if he had let his mother down because of his alcohol abuse, and that he blamed alcohol for many of his failed relationships.
While at the hospital, Mr Hewitt-Jones refused to have his bloods taken. If his blood was taken, the severity of the hepatic steatosis may have been detected.
He was discharged from hospital that same day and he reportedly told the doctor “you are sending me home to die”.
His mother organised for Mr Hewitt-Jones to attend a week-long detox at a Cardiff facility the next day which he was meant to attend on February 13, but his family lost contact with him.
He was reported missing on February 14 and found dead the day after.
His mother, who was present at the inquest, believed a lack of attention from local mental health and substance abuse services was a factor in her son’s death.
Mrs Hewitt-Jones said: “We feel that he fell through every crack and crevice in the broken system.”
This was an opinion that was echoed by the coroner, who said: “We are working with an underfunded and under resourced system, and I will be hearing further cases such as James’s if this continues.”
His mother said: “He had everything to live for and he desperately wanted to get better. He felt that he just wanted to gain some normality.”