THREE men were caught on camera carrying a drug addict's body from a flat block and leaving him in a Boscombe street.

But by the time an ambulance arrived at Sea Road on October 8, two had "disappeared", a Bournemouth inquest heard yesterday.

A police investigation was launched following 35-year-old Stephen Gosnell's death.

His brother Gary described Mr Gosnell as "a charismatic, outgoing chap with lots of friends".

He said: "By 1998 it dawned on us that he was using drugs. Stephen had been very polite; then he got abusive, stealing from mum and dad to feed his habit.

"When he visited in the summer he seemed to have changed and we thought he had his drug problem under control."

A post mortem examination showed that, despite minor injuries, there was no evidence that Mr Gosnell had been attacked or restrained.

Illegal and prescribed drugs were found, confirming he had been a regular heroin user.

In a statement, Christopher Gentle from Sea Road, Boscombe, said he had shared heroin with Mr Gosnell and Michael Lagan on October 7 before they left Mr Gosnell at his flat to "chill out".

On his return he found Mr Gosnell on the kitchen floor. "I tried to wake him but he didn't seem to be breathing."

Mr Gentle ran to a friend's house for help. "We decided to take him out into the fresh air. We picked Stephen up and took him downstairs.

"I'm really sorry, I didn't know what else could be done. I was scared and upset."

Mr Lagan from Charminster Road said he had called an ambulance. "Chris was concerned about what had happened in his flat," he recalled.

Only Gary Beaton stayed at the scene, claiming he was a passer-by but changing his story after being arrested for attempting to pervert the course of justice.

DS Phil Swanton said CCTV footage had shown three men moving Mr Gosnell from the flat to where he was found in the street, adding: "There was no evidence of any third party involvement," he said.

Coroner Sheriff Payne concluded that Mr Gosnell had died from his dependence on drugs.