The 56-year-old was sadly found dead in his bedroom.
A man was found dead in his flat by a support worker, an inquest has heard.
On December 1, 2020, David Robert Nye was found dead in the bedroom of his temporary flat in Colchester by a support worker who had become concerned for his welfare.
Emergency services were called to the flat of the 56-year-old but he was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.
At Chelmsford Coroners’ Court today (July 12), an inquest heard how Mr Nye had been rehoused by housing support services Circle Housing into a flat on Acacia Avenue while his flat in Ipswich was refurbished, three weeks prior to death.
Area coroner Sean Horstead ruled out the possibility of Mr Nye dying by suicide and found he had “inadvertently” taken his own life from an accidental drug overdose.
Reading a letter written by Mr Nye’s mother, Ms Chittock, the court heard how the 56-year-old’s drug habits may have started as early as the 1970s when he began work as a trainee carpet fitter and began sniffing glue.
Speaking with Ms Chittock, the coroner confirmed that Mr Nye had been “pleased” he was getting a new flat and was “looking forward” to moving in.
At the time time he seemed upbeat and you said he told you he was going to try over and straighten out his life,” Mr Horstead said.
“Like various goes, he had been successful for periods and other periods didn’t.”
The last conversation Mr Nye had with a number of his family was on the Saturday, November 28, when he told his mum he loved her.
His mother made clear in her letter that she did not feel in “any way he took his own life on purpose”.
The coroner added: “The immediate period ahead of him was not bleak, it was positive one and he was going top spend Christmas with his daughter.”
The court also heard the coroner read aloud evidence from detective inspector Jamie Mills, who attended the scene at around 11am on the day he died, two hours after the support worker had alerted police to finding Mr Nye in the flat.
“She attended the address to conduct a welfare check on David as she said she hadn’t been able to get hold of David for a few days and decided to attend to see what the situation was,” he said.
DI Mills confirmed that police did not believe there was any third party involvement with Mr Nye’s death, noting that the room was free from any damage and had been locked from the inside, meaning there was no one else present in the room. He added that there were no injuries which suggested any third party involvement or any suspicious circumstances.
Toxicology results also showed there were levels of morphine in the blood which were consistent with levels seen in fatalities.
Evidence from Dr Brunt further noted “the risk of death is increased in individuals with reduced tolerance from abstention.”
The coroner added to this: “We know he was thinking along the lines of when returning to Ipswich he would get back on the wagon again and try sort himself out.”
A pathologist carrying out the post-mortem concluded there were no other physical causes of death and rules he died from the toxic effects of morphine overdose.
Mr Horstead concluded that he did not find Mr Nye’s death a suicide and gave a conclusion of drug-related death.
“At some time on 28th or 29th, perhaps early hours of 30th, David sadly passed away,” he said.
“Evidence from Ms Shittock, which I entirely accept, was that David seemed his normal self on Saturday and was forward-thinking.
“We have heard evidence he was going to be spending Christmas with daughter and grand kids and there was a lot going on for him.”
He concluded: “No doubt he took his own life but did so inadvertently and it was in effect, an accident.”
Mr Horstead passed on his sincere condolences to the family of Mr Nye.
Credit Essex Live
