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Gulf war veteran who died of drug overdose ‘slipped through net’
Ex-serviceman was ‘tormented’ by his experiences
AN IRAQ war veteran died from a drugs overdose in a take-away toilet after living in “torment” over the horrors he had seen while on duty.
Stuart Douglas Coffey, 39, was found in a near-dead state in a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant in Upper Street, Angel, on May 5 after injecting himself with heroin in the toilet.
Despite being rushed to the Whittington Hospital in Archway he was pronounced dead later that day.
Mr Coffey had travelled to London from his home in Norfolk, where he lived with his partner Ruth Everett and their eight-year-old daughter. He had planned to catch a train to Manchester to visit relatives.
Ms Everett told St Pancras Coroner’s court on Wednesday how her partner had battled “inner torment” for years over his experiences while on tours of duty, first in the Gulf war in 1991 and later in Northern Ireland.
Ms Everett, 35, said Mr Coffey was traumatised by what he had seen but found it hard to open up and instead turned to Combat Stress, a charity specialising in counselling soldiers.
He had been booked to stay at a Combat Stress recovery centre – one of just three in the country that serve traumatised ex-soldiers – but a letter confirming the dates of his visit arrived after his death.
Ms Everett told the court when he spoke to the charity they said the symptoms he described – lack of sleep, fatigue and nightmares – were “the same as a lot of people they’d talk to”.
She said: “He would think about [his experiences as a soldier] every day. I think he didn’t know where to go – [Combat Stress] was the first light at the end of the tunnel. He was really looking forward to it.”
Coroner Gail Elliman said the referral came “too late for him”.
Ms Everett said Mr Coffey was “secretive” about using heroin and only told her he took drugs after more than two years as a couple. They were together for just under 10 years.
Since leaving the army more than 10 years ago he had taken on work as a casual labourer, most recently working as a farm hand.
KFC worker Preethi Subash said she remembered Mr Coffey because he walked into the restaurant looking drunk and went directly to the toilets without buying anything.
She discovered him during a routine toilet clean and an ambulance was called. A syringe was seen lying in the cubicle by paramedic James Milligan.
The coroner accepted pathologist Dr Freddy Patel’s verdict that Mr Coffey died of mixed opiate and alcohol
toxicity and ruled he died as a result of “a non-dependent abuse of drugs”.
A report read out by the coroner from Mr Coffey’s GP Diana Black, of the Massingham surgery, said he suffered depression and post traumatic stress disorder and that had “lost a sense of enjoyment and enthusiasm,” but she did not think he was suicidal.
In August 2008 Mr Douglas was admitted to the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, Camden, following a heroin overdose.
Ms Elliman said: “From what I’ve heard it is quite clear there was a net that he slipped through and I’m sorry that he did but the court is not here [to determine liability], it’s here to determine what happened.” |
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