A MAN whose body was found outside the Salvation Army centre in Falmouth died of a heroin overdose on the day he was scheduled to see an Addaction worker.

Brodie Rippingale was known to friends as a "kind soul," and struggled with drug and alcohol addiction for years before he passed away at the age of 31 on December 6 2017.

A friend of Brodie's who attended the inquest today (Thursday September 13) spoke to the Packet afterwards, although he did not want to be named.

He said: "I think he was a very kind soul and had a great heart. We all have our demons and some of us succumb to them.

"It's very sad, obviously tragic. I feel very sorry for his family. I think he touched a lot of people, he influenced a lot of people, he was a very positive character, one of those people you don't encounter very often in life, he had an incredible hope for life.

"He was a very authentic person, wore his heart on his sleeve. It's just tragic."

Coroner Andrew Cox found that there were no suspicious circumstances involved in his death, nor was there any evidence that he intended to take his life.

He had been treated with antidepressants by a previous GP, although it was noted that he did not show signs of suicidal ideation.

He was found with an intravenous needle still clasped in his hand, and blood analysis found several drugs in his system including morphine, alprazolam, MDMA and ketamine.

In a statement read at the inquest, his sister Jude Williams spoke of "good times growing up" before Brodie's father died of cancer and the family home was taken away.

She said in the statement: "Brodie took the loss of his father and family house very badly. His schooling did not go very well, something I attribute to the loss of my father and family home. He lacked motivation and I think he just couldn't be bothered.

"He was very intelligent but also did not want to be tied down by work or a routine."

Her statement mentioned that Brodie had also been severely affected by the suicide of an ex-partner who hung herself in Manchester in January 2017.

She also spoke of how Brodie had volunteered at schools to teach children about drug use, and his life was influenced by the film Into the Wild, about a man who journeys into the Alaskan wilderness.