Preston mum had premonition of son Christopher Shields tragic death

The grieving mother of a Preston crack addict revealed she had a premonition drugs would kill him just days before he died.

Speaking after the inquest into her son’s death, a distraught Shirley Shields admitted: “I predicted it the week before. And it was like he knew too.”

Christopher Shields was found unresponsive on the floor of a friend’s home last September. Attempts to revive him failed.

Area Coroner Chris Long heard the 36-year-old had a cocktail of drugs in his system which proved a lethal combination with a chest infection he had been suffering at the time.

A pathologist decided the cause of his death was a mixture of narcotics and pneumonia.

Outside court Mrs Shields said: “Christopher was a very loving son and loved his family. But he had a breakdown and ended up on crack (cocaine).

“He had split up with his partner, who was everything to him. He was a lovely lad, but he went down the wrong path. It (the drugs) just took its toll.”

She said his family believed the pneumonia had been caused by falling into a ditch about a week before he died, leaving him up to his neck in cold water.

“He came home and was wet through and freezing. He was laughing, he had had a brilliant night. He just got changed and went out again. I think that definitely contributed to the bronchopneumonia.”

The inquest was told Christopher, of Maple Grove, Ribbleton, had been out with good mate Robert Wilson the evening before his death and had stayed the night at his friend’s home in nearby Pine Close, sleeping on the couch.

In a statement read out in court Mr Wilson said the following morning the pair had eaten Kentucky Fried Chicken at about 9.30am and then both had gone back to sleep.

At 11.30am, Mr Wilson woke up and checked on Christopher and thought he was OK. He went out to the chemist shop and to meet a friend and returned about an hour later to find him in a critical condition.

“I could see he was unwell,” he said. “His hand was cold and I called 999. I tried to give him CPR until the ambulance came. I was shaking him but there was no response.”

Police were called to the scene and PC Hamza Muhammad Musa said Christopher was on the floor. Paramedics said he was dead.

PC Musa said he had examined Christopher and the property and had found nothing to suggest there was anything suspicious. There was no evidence of injury.

A pathologist who examined Christopher said he had right-sided bronchopneumonia. A toxicology report revealed quantities of several drugs in his system, although none of them in quantities which would have caused death on their own.

But three of them would have had an adverse effect on his respiratory system, which was already compromised due to pneumonia.

Area Coroner Long told his family: “There is nothing to suggest there was any third party involvement in Christopher’s death. Bronchopneumonia and some of the drugs he had taken together caused his death. He had mixed drug toxicity in his system, a combination of drugs.”

Recording a narrative conclusion he said Christopher had “died as a result of mixed drug toxicity and bronchopneumonia.”