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Clacton: Open verdict on heroin death
An inquest into the death of a father-of-three who took a lethal dose of heroin has returned an open verdict.
Essex coroner Caroline Beasley-Murray said she was not satisfied Douglas Brownlie, known as Douggie, died as the result of an accident.
The 46-year-old had been living in Hayes Road, Clacton, for about seven years at a guest house run by his aunt Dympna Coffey, an inquest in Chelmsford heard yesterday.
But on December 10 last year, when he failed to appear for dinner, his family assumed he was sulking following a disagreement.
The next day his body was found slumped on his bed next to drug paraphernalia and syringes.
A post-mortem examination at Colchester General Hospital found a lethal amount of heroin in his blood as well as alcohol.
His brother, Allan Brownlie, 45, said he did not believe Douggie would take his life.
"He lived life to the full. He was not the sort of person that would take an overdose - he loved life."
The court heard police had found no suspicious circumstances despite family concerns the drugs had been administered by someone else.
6:44am Thursday 8th May 2008
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