No third-party in drug-user’s death

A DRUG-USER was found dead days after he was released from prison, an Oldham inquest has heard.

The hearing into the death of Nicholas Hall resumed yesterday following three adjournments.

At the first, a key witness failed to attend and allegations were made by relatives that a third party may have been involved in Nicholas’s death.

He was found on the floor of the home he shared with his partner Margaret in Chamber Road, Oldham, on April 7, 2006. He had puncture wounds to his arms and wrist.

But relatives said that the 34-year-old could not use needles to inject as he had a fear of them.

A subpoena was then issued for Matthew McConkie, of Aspull Street, Clarksfield, to attend the inquest.

He told the second hearing that he received a text from his uncle, Malcolm McConkie, suggesting that there was trouble at his mother Margaret’s flat.

When he went there he found Nicholas’s body. He said he was not sure if his uncle was in the flat with the deceased when the text was sent.

But coroner Simon Nelson said he was unhappy with the version of events presented by Matthew and adjourned the inquest to allow further investigation.

It was adjourned for a third time after the family were not given enough notice to attend.

Yesterday, Malcolm, of Huddersfield Road, Oldham, said that he had never seen Nicholas inject drugs.

He said that he saw him days before he was released from prison and became concerned about his welfare when he failed to meet up on Thursday, April 6. Malcolm got no answer at Nicholas’s flat.

Malcolm said: “I didn’t want anyone breaking into it because Nicholas and Margaret weren’t getting on with some neighbours, so I asked Elizabeth Biggins (his girlfriend) to phone Matthew because he had the keys to it.”

Miss Biggins said she did not mention the word “trouble” in the text, but Malcolm said his nephew may have assumed it when he was asked to go check the flat.

He added: “I wasn’t there at the time of Nicholas’s death because I was at community service that morning.

“Nor did I tell a family member that I was there when Nicholas injected himself.”

Det Insp James Tierney confirmed that there was no third party involvement in Mr Hall’s death and accepted Malcolm’s words as accurate.

He said: “There was nothing to suggest that drugs were forcibly administrated. Nicholas had a history of drug injections.”

A post-mortem examination revealed that Mr Hall died of opiate toxicity.

Mr Nelson recorded a verdict of non-dependent abuse of unlawful drugs, and ruled out third-party involvement.

He added: “I am satisfied that Mr Hall had received heroin injections in the past as the pathologist’s evidence has suggests.”