A ‘popular’ man who had ‘no wish to take his life’ died from cardiac arrest caused by an accidental overdose, an inquest heard.
Jack Nicholas John Holdsworth, 28, was found unresponsive at his home in Poole after taking a cocktail of recreational drugs, causing severe brain injury.
An inquest held at Bournemouth Town Hall on October 10 heard that Jack was a ‘happy, positive person’ with a ‘good job’ in AI, but took drugs on a regular basis.
Jordan Graham, Jack’s friend, said he was a ‘one in a million man’ and that he did not use drugs for a sense of escape but ‘just for fun’.
He said in a statement, read at Bournemouth Coroners Courts, that he went round to Jack’s house on March 27 with other friends.
After taking a new drug that he was not used to, Jack went to the bathroom ‘feeling sick’ but Jordan soon heard a ‘thumping sound’ that sounded like a seizure.
Jordan called an ambulance and said Jack had around seven seizures before emergency services arrived.
Assistant coroner for Dorset, Debbie Rookes, told the court that paramedics arrived at the scene at around 4am on March 28 where Jack was ‘grey and unresponsive’.
Dr James Keegan, an intensive care consultant at Poole Hospital, said that Jack’s heart had stopped but was able to be restarted and he was taken to the hospital.
However, a CT scan revealed that Jack had suffered a ‘severe brain injury’ and was pronounced dead on March 31.
Ms Rookes said: “On March 27, into March 28, Jack took a combination of illicit drugs.
“He later died on March 31 at Poole Hospital related to a drug-induced seizure.
“There is no sign that he had any wish to take his life, he took the drugs voluntarily.”
Ms Rookes concluded that Jack died from a drug-related death, specifically, a hypoxic brain injury from a cardiac arrest caused by a seizure induced by a drug overdose.
Jack’s family said in a statement: “He was a happy, positive person.
“We had lunch with him the week before and he said had recently bought a new car and was talking about going on a family holiday.”
They added: “Jack was a popular person at work and privately with a wide circle of friends.
“He had a first-class degree at Bournemouth University in forensic computing and networking.
“He loved fishing and had a half-brother and sister that he was very close to and had a loving relationship with his mum and dad.”
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