25 April 2023 , 19:01
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A dad was found dead at home after hearing that his mum was terminally ill and she died five days after him.
The family of Robert David Courtney, 35, said that he "adored his kids" and "got on with anyone" as they paid tribute to him following an inquest.
Mr Courtney was discovered in his bedroom at the house he shared with his nan on December 1 last year but could not be saved and a coroner has now ruled his death was drug-related.
The inquest heard that on November 29, Robert had been out with his brother and that he then spent much of the following day in bed, reported Lancs Live.
When Craig called to check on him in the early evening Robert said "I'm not well, I'm not well" the hearing was told.
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Mr Courtney's inquest was heard in Preston (Lancs Live/MEN Media)Craig raced round to the home Robert, 35, shared with nan Joan Owen in Skelmersdale in Lancashire, went up to his brother's room and told him to get some sleep."
"He would normally sleep it off and wake up in the morning and say he'll never do it again," he said in a statement.
Then the following morning, Robert's nan Joan had been visited by her sister Brenda and when they realised there were no sounds coming from his bedroom they went to check on him.
Robert had been heard snoring and they left him assuming he was asleep but at 1pm, Robert still hadn't surfaced and Joan went again to check on him. As she opened the door she "immediately knew something was wrong".
Paramedics were called but Robert was sadly pronounced dead.
The inquest held at Preston Coroner's Court on Monday (April 24) heard that Robert had just started a new job, delivering car parts, and had recently reported being clean of cocaine and alcohol for several weeks.
In his statement, brother Craig said Robert had been using cocaine for several years. Although he could go a week without taking the drug he would then "go on a bender", he said.
Toxicology tests carried out as part of his post-mortem showed Robert, who was born in Ormskirk and grew up in Skelmersdale, had potentially fatal levels of heroin in his system at the time of his death. The tests also found evidence for recent cocaine and amphetamine use.
Concluding that Robert's death was drug-related, Assistant Coroner Laura Fox said: "He had a long history of drug abuse. Toxicology tests tragically confirmed that his blood concentration of total morphine was within the range encountered in fatalities associated with the use of heroin."
The hearing was attended by Robert's other brother, Michael, as well as Michael's partner and the mum of Robert's two children. After the inquest, they described how he "adored his kids" and would "get on with anyone".
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They revealed how just a few days before Robert's death he had found out his mum was terminally ill and she tragically passed away five days after her son.