TRIBUTES have been paid to a popular Fylde coast student found dead in a Blackpool home after a suspected drug overdose.
Blackpool and the Fylde College Creative Media Production pupil Harry Jones, 20, was found by police when they were called to Garton Avenue, South Shore, on Sunday morning.
Police believe Mr Jones, of The Knowle, North Shore, who was in his second year at the college, took a lethal dose and said there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding the student’s death.
Helen Chiula, curriculum manager in the School of Creative Arts at Blackpool and The Fylde College, said: “There’s a deep sense of shock and a great feeling of life lost within the department.
“Harry was a bubbly and curious student, well supported and liked by the team and his peers, and was the life and soul of the sessions.
“He had a natural skill-set within media and was a high achiever who was in the process of completing his UCAS application for a career in journalism. He took on the role of producer and actor during a group field trip to Abergele in which he excelled and really came to life on the course.
“He will be sorely missed by staff and students and our thoughts are with his family.”
Tributes were also posted on social networking website Twitter by Mr Jones’ friends and family hours after his death. George Green tweeted: “Harry, you were my cousin, my brother.
“This world is too cruel. Why did you have to be taken from us?
“I’ll see you in heaven, bro.”
Sean Maloney added: “RIP Harry Jones, an amazing person taken far too young.”
An inquest into Mr Jones’ death was opened by Blackpool coroner Anne Hind yesterday.
The court heard he had been drinking and had been asleep when his friends went to bed at around 4am.
But when they woke in the morning they found the 20-year-old was unresponsive, and called an ambulance.
Coroners officer PC Ken Lord said: “The previous evening he had been drinking alcohol and having a good time with his friends.
“The paramedics attended and classed Mr Jones deceased at the scene at 11.30am. There is an allegation there is an amount of Tramadol tablets missing from the premises. That is being looked at.”
A post-mortem examination was carried out at Blackpool Victoria Hospital on Tuesday and found “no obvious natural cause of death”, and the inquest was adjourned to allow toxicology tests to be carried out.
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