Please remember my son for his kindness and love - inquest hears

Carl Weston, 38, was found deceased on November 12, 2021, in his flat in High Street.

At an inquest in Cockermouth, coroner Craig Smith heard Mr Weston had a long history of drug misuse and also mental health issues.

He had recently come out of prison and was living in temporary accommodation for homeless people.

His mother, Jennifer Weston, told the coroner that her son went to Westfield Infants and Juniors in Workington before going on to Southfield, where he left at the age of 16.

He was in they Army cadets at school but was unable to progress because he had a heart murmur. He got a job in a Keswick hotel, where he lived.

He started taking cannabis from the age of 13, the inquest heard.

“He also developed problems with alcohol so he lost his job in Keswick,” said Mrs Weston.

“He got involved with the wrong kind of friends who took advantage of him.

“He was heavily involved with drink and drugs for the best part of 20 years. We saved up money for him but then he would be misled by friends who would spend his money and then leave him.”

He started shoplifting and was in and out of prison for six or seven years, she said.

He always came home for Christmas and would not take drugs then, said Mrs Weston.

“He suffered from psychosis and was sectioned twice.

“We would like him to be remembered for his kindness and love for his family and the person he was when he was not on drugs.”

Neighbour James Ian Wilson and his dad Gary had seen Mr Weston the evening before.

“He came into my flat, he was staggering and looked like he had taken something," said James.

"He said he had been in Workington earlier and taken Xanax and pregabalin. He knocked over my television."

Mr Weston said he was hungry, so Gary took him to get a pizza and walked him back into his flat, where he last saw him sat on the sofa with his pizza.

They raised the alarm the next day after noticing Mr Weston had not gone for his daily methadone prescription.

Police went into the flat and found him deceased on the sofa.

The inquest heard from a mental health nurse practitioner for Carlisle Community Health and Recovery team. He had a history of poly substance misuse and had been in contact with mental health services since 2010.

It also heard from Workington-based Recovery Steps Cumbria. Mr Weston had come out of prison 10 days before his death. He had attended the Workington office on various occasions, including November 4 and 5 when he was presenting as if under the influence, the inquest heard.

A toxicology report revealed there were various drugs in his system, including methadone. A post mortem gave the medical cause of death as drug intoxication.

The most likely cause of death was the combination of drugs which may have lead to cardio respiratory arrest, said the pathologist.

Mr Smith said: "I have heard evidence regarding this very sad death. It’s clear Carl encountered a number of struggles and difficulties in life.

"His mother gives an insight into Carl beyond the struggles. I’m sure he will be deeply missed by his family and friends."

In his conclusion he said: "There was a history of poly substance misuse over more than 20 years. There was generally poor engagement with services.

"The majority of his interaction with mental health services in Cumbria was with the crisis team."

It was a "drug-related death" he concluded. "The combined toxicity of these drugs has been the cause of Carl’s death."

He found that Mr Weston did not intend to take his own life.