A SOUTHAMPTON man died of a heart attack after taking illicit drugs following a gap of several years, an inquest heard.

John Malaney, 44, was found in a flat in Fernside Close, Millbrook, on March 28.

A man he was with, Craig Lovett, known as Charles, has since disappeared and has been unavailable to speak about the death, which police do not believe is suspicious.

Mr Malaney was described by his partner of 16 years, Kim Harrison, as "such a nice man, so funny and friendly he would never be in a bad mood. He loved drawing, history and playing games on his phone.

"They had two children together."

The inquest in Winchester heard that Mr Malaney, of Thorndike Road, Maybush, grew up in Scotland and had been a drug user since his teens but in recent years had been clean and was working as a warehouse operator for DFS in Nursling.

Daily Echo: Winchester Coroner's Court

But the hearing heard that in 2014 he suffered a drugs overdose which may have damaged his heart, said consultant pathologist Dr Sanjay Jogai.

On the day of his death taking the relatively small amount of illicit drug could have caused his heart to beat erratically and then stop, said Dr Jogai.

On March 28 he left his home and met Mr Lovett and a woman called Cindy Lewsey, 49, in Shirley and went to her flat in Fernside Close.

At some point that day Mr Malaney took heroin and cocaine although in relatively small doses.

Ms Lewsey told PC Owen Woods at the scene that she had heard Mr Malaney snoring on a bed at 11.45pm and had placed a chair under his feet to make him more comfortable.

At around 12.45pm the following day he was found unresponsive on the bed and emergency services were called. The 999 call was made by Mr Lovett who then left the flat and has not been seen since.

Senior Coroner Grahame Short asked PC Woods if Mr Malaney might have been saved if he had been found sooner. PC Woods said: "That is a very difficult question to answer. We don't know the exact time that John died.

"It is quite suspicious that Charles left the scene and been uncontactable since. Miss Lewsey has been approached to obtain a statement which she has not provided, whether due to mental health issues, I don't know.

"I can't say whether John was on his own when he passed away or whether other people were there, whether Charles stayed overnight or in a separate room, I don't know."

PC Woods said of Ms Lewsey. "She is very anxious and vulnerable when I met her. She was distressed at John's death, almost blaming herself that someone had died in her house. She was petrified and on medication for anxiety and depression."

Mr Short reaching a conclusion of a drug-related death, said: "There is no evidence this was a deliberate overdose, more a question that his body could not cope with the drugs he had used in the past."