Chorley man overdosed on painkillers he bought online

Kristian Metcalfe, 29, was found dead in bed two days before Christmas, the morning after complaining he was feeling “groggy and dazed.”

The hearing in Preston was told Kristian, of Gaskell Street, Chorley, had suffered for up to three years with chronic back pain and had resorted to ordering drugs online instead of through his GP.

A toxicology report revealed he had a cocktail of four different medications in his system at the time of his death. One, the opioid Tramadol, was present in a fatal quantity.

When he was found by his family, his bedroom was littered with tablet packets, many with foreign labels.

But Coroner Richard Taylor decided there was no evidence to suggest he had intended to take his own life. He recorded a conclusion of “misadventure.”

The inquest was told that Kristian had been treated for back pain by his GP surgery, but had not asked for any medication from them for three to four months before his death.

In a statement his father Gerrard said: “He had an online doctor, but I don’t know how that works.”

Police found no suspicious circumstances. DCI Steve Monk said there were an assortment of tablet packets “scattered around the room, mainly in foreign languages.”

Summing up the Coroner said Kristian had clearly been looking online for pain relief. “It may well be that he was in a lot of pain and he could have been confused as to how much he had taken.”

Mum Tina later described Kristian as “a kind loving son, with a big heart.”

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