Darran Sharp had fatal level of morphine in his system, inquest hears

Darran Sharp died of a combination of alcohol and morphine toxicity and was also suffering from the early effects of pneumonia, Assistant Dorset Coroner Richard Middleton was told.

Mr Sharp, 26, of Waytown Close in Poole, went out for a meal with friends in Poole on the night of December 28 last year, the Bournemouth inquest heard.

They travelled to Bournemouth in a taxi and went to a bar but when his friends went home, he decided to stay out.

Mr Sharp then met a man in another bar and went to the man's home in Northcote Road, Bournemouth. The man found him dead the following afternoon.

Mr Sharp's father, Hamish, told how his son attended Canford Heath Middle School, Ashdown College and Bournemouth and Poole College before attending Brighton University.

He graduated in 2011 and worked for Sigma Aldrich Merck in north Dorset. He was considering emigrating to Canada, where he had spent part of his childhood when his father was in the Army.

Pathologist Dr David Parham said Mr Sharp had a fatal level of morphine in his system and an alcohol level just above the drink driving limit.

He recorded a verdict that his death was drug-related and added: "He was a bright and delightful young man who had much to live for."