Blackpool coroner rules on death of man, 49, found in St Annes flat

A man found unresponsive in his flat in St Annes had an excessive level of a prescription painkiller in his system, an inquest at Blackpool Town Hall heard.

Philip Mckeon was discovered on the floor of his bedroom at the property in St Andrew’s Road South on March 23 this year after his landlord became concerned for his welfare.

A post mortem carried out by Dr Muhammad Aslam found his primary cause of death to be acute heart failure due to ischemic and hypertensive heart disease.

Secondary causes were a fatty liver and the dihydrocodeine painkiller said to be at a level that was likely to have contributed to his death.

Police who examined the property found no evidence of third party involvement.

Blackpool and Fylde assistant coroner Andrew Cousins said that while the primary cause of death could be considered natural, the presence of the dihydrocodeine at such a level meant it was inappropriate to record natural causes or any other of the short form conclusions open to him.

“We can’t sure that the raised level of dihydrocodeine was because more than a therapeutic amount was taken or because his fatty liver prevented his body processing it sufficiently,” said the coroner, who recorded a narrative conclusion based on the circumstances of his death.