A Falmouth man who slugged it out in an alley with EastEnders star Steve McFadden, died of a drugs overdose, an inquest heard this week.

Father of four Michael "Micky" McIntyre, 42, was found slumped in the entrance to his Pendennis Court flat on Tuesday, August 14 last year, after bingeing on a cocktail of drink and drugs.

Mr McIntyre, who worked locally as a painter and decorator, was known as a heavy drinker who used cocaine regularly.

Witnesses reported seeing Mr McIntyre drinking at a town centre pub on Saturday, August 11 with one describing him as "drugged up" and "not himself" and that he had been told by Mr McIntyre that "someone has given me something, I feel a bit rough here".

Two witnesses said they saw Mr McIntyre alive the next day.

Police forced their way into Mr McIntyre's home two days later after witnesses said the door was being blocked by something and they could see what looked like an ankle.

His death came just two weeks after he scrapped with the television star outside the British Legion club on Sunday, July 29 last year.

The pair faced off for 20 seconds in an alley, before two off duty policemen intervened.

McFadden, 48, who at the time described the scuffle as "good old-fashioned street fighting", was left with a black eye and was unable to work for a week.

As nether man made a complaint Devon and Cornwall police did not launch an investigation into the fight When asked by assistant deputy coroner Dr Peter Blackwell-Smyth if the fight was relevant, detective constable David Palmer said: "There had been a rumour circulating that Mr McIntyre had been paid a substantial amount of money by the News of the World."

However he said the News of the World had confirmed they had entered into an agreement with Mr McIntyre however no money had been paid and his information had not been used in a story.

He added in a separate investigation they had looked into an anonymous tip off Mr McIntyre had been injected with something against his will at a party, but they had found no evidence this was the case.

Toxicology reports showed he had alcohol, cocaine, ecstasy and heroin in his system at the time of his death and the amounts of heroin and ecstasy could have been fatal.

Assistant deputy coroner for Cornwall, Peter Blackwell-Smyth recorded a verdict of death by non-dependant use of drugs.