Man died after accidental drug overdose

A Lynn man died after an accidental drug overdose caused him to have a heart attack which in turn led to a severe brain injury, an inquest heard.

It took 28 minutes for CPR to finally work, by which time Bobby Mortimer, who was 42, had suffered damage to the brain caused by lack of oxygen.

Bobby, of Chapel Street, died on March 31 this year at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) in Lynn.

His cardiac arrest had happened several days earlier, but he didn’t regain consciousness before he passed away.

On the day of the heart attack Bobby was seen to collapse and passers-by carried out CPR for eight minutes until paramedics arrived, who continued for a further 20 minutes before it worked and Bobby was taken to the QEH.

Medical tests and scans carried out showed the extent of brain damage he had suffered.

Thursday’s inquest heard Bobby had “a long history of substance abuse” and excess alcohol consumption.

Bobby’s mother, Eve Naughton, said her son had accessed services at The Purfleet Trust in Lynn but at times family members found him “very difficult to help” as he would sometimes refuse their support.

She said while her son had always taken pride in his appearance, in recent years he had struggled to deal with various physical injuries and had at times stopped looking after himself.

She expressed concerns she had felt about her son being taken advantage of by people he considered friends but who took his money.

Norfolk Police and other authorities agreed, and to stop him being “exploited by others” an order was made banning anyone but family and representatives of support services from visiting Bobby at his flat.

The substance misuse service Change Grow Live had also worked to safeguard Bobby from “risks associated with other people”, the inquest heard.

A statement from Bobby’s doctor said he had shown no signs of suicidal tendencies or ideation during consultations.

The medical cause of death was given as hypoxic-ischemic brain injury as a result of a drug overdose, with a contributing factor of liver cirrhosis.

Coroner Samantha Goward said: “This wasn’t an intentional act. It seems to have been an accidental overdose.”

She recorded a conclusion of drug-related death.