A MAN was found dead in a public toilet after overdosing on heroin, an inquest heard.

Liam Philpott was found unresponsive in the public facilities at Roundhill car park in Fordingbridge.

Winchester Coroner’s Court heard how the 32-year-old from Fordingbridge High Street was a known drug addict who had overdosed several times in the weeks before his death.

The inquest heard that the day before Mr Philpott died, he had a text from one of his dealers, and had told his family he was “seeing a friend”.

The following day on September 27, his body was discovered slumped in a locked toilet cubicle with needles and other drug paraphernalia found next to his body.

His brother Lewis Philpott said that he would usually not take drugs alone and was surprised that his brother was discovered dead in a toilet cubicle.

The court heard from detective constable David Barnes of Lyndhurst Police Station who said police treated the death as non-suspicious.

Evidence from pathologist Dr Sanjay Jogai revealed Mr Philpott had morphine in his body. This combined with other painkilling and prescribed drugs which were found to be in the therapeutic levels caused his death.

Senior Coroner Grahame Short concluded it was a drug related death, adding: “I have no reason to think this was a deliberate overdose and there is no evidence to support that. I think sadly given the history this was more or less inevitable at one stage and it is very hard for you as a family to watch him go through this.”