THE consequences of 30 years of substance abuse led to the "inevitable" death of a 47-year-old drug addict, an inquest heard today.

Andrew Mark Barnecutt died at his flat in the Old Police Station Berkeley Vale, Falmouth on April 26 last year through drug misuse.

The inquest in Truro heard that Mr Barnecutt had been a drug addict for 30 years and used substances including heroin, methadone, crack and cocaine.

Prior to his death Mr Barnecutt had been in and out of hospital due to infections caused by his intravenous drug use.

Senior coroner Andrew Cox heard that Mr Barnecutt's condition deteriorated and he became increasingly delusional and incoherent in the days leading up to his death.

On the night of Sunday, April 25 Mr Barnecutt had a very disturbed night on the sofa in his flat.

On Monday morning Mr Barnecutt was not responsive and did not appear to be breathing.

The emergency services were called but Mr Barnecutt was declared dead at the scene.

Reaching his conclusion of death through drug misuse, Mr Cox said: "Mr Barnecutt had a long history of illicit IV drug abuse which had previously required surgical intervention.

"He had had an extended period of support from agencies but had chosen not to address his IV drug addiction and had declined offers for detoxification and rehabilitation.

"It seems clear from the evidence that Andrew was reluctant to take the dramatic changes that would have been required of his lifestyle to address the underlying concerns and unfortunately the inevitable has resulted and the significant and lengthy use of IV drug injections has caught up with him."

  • If you need support for drug addiction help is available from your GP. You can also visit the Frank website to find local drug treatment services.​

As well as the NHS, there are charities and private drug and alcohol treatment organisations that can help you. Visit the Adfam website to see a list of useful organisations.