A 'lovely, kind, friendly young man' who had been experiencing extreme pain as a result of seizures, died after taking a combination of drugs to ease his suffering.

Jonathan James Attwood, 28, from Great Harwood, was last seen alive on December 3, when he visited his parents home.

An inquest at Accrington Town Hall heard that concerns were raised by his worried relatives on December 5, after Mr Attwood had not been heard from, and police were called to his Queen Street flat.

Coroner Richard Taylor told the inquest: "The police attended and he was found dead by them at his home.

"A number of empty blister packs were also found.

"A postmortem showed there was no natural cause of death and toxicology was taken which revealed the concentration of morphine found in his blood was in the range encountered in individuals receiving it chronically and also in the range found in fatalities."

The inquest heard that other drugs were also found to be present in his system, including pain killer oxycodone, pre-gabalin, which can be used to treat epilepsy, sedative drug diazepam, and prescribed anti-depressant mirtazapine.

Mr Taylor said these substances combined could enhance the sedative and toxic effects of morphine, affecting respiration and in turn increasing the risk of death.

He added: "A medical cause of death was offered as drug toxicity."

The inquest was told that in March 2020, Mr Attwood had overdosed on Tramadol, which is also used as a pain killer, but had no other history of self harm or overdose.

Police officer, Daniel Gunn, who had spoken with Mr Attwood's father during the investigation into his son's death said in a statement that Mr Attwood Snr had expressed slight concerns over his son's mood on December 3, saying he seemed a 'bit down recently'.

Mr Taylor said: "Mr Attwood Snr told PC Gunn his son was on anti-depressants and had previously talked of suicide, and was concerned that Jonathan was using drugs, including over the counter medication.

"PC Gunn said there was nothing of particular concern found in Jonathan's flat apart from the blister packs, which appeared to be packets bought over the counter.

"From the evidence we have we know Jonathan was taking medication for pain relief but on this occasion it seems he's taken more than his body could tolerate, which would have led to respiratory depression and ultimately his death.

"There was no evidence to suggest he intended to end his own life and I record a conclusion of misadventure."

Following his death a Go Fund Me page was set up for Mr Attwood's family, which said the 28-year-old was 'a lovely, kind, friendly young man who has been much loved by many'.

It read: "There are no words that express the emptiness and devastation that is left behind after losing a child.

"There is no way to fill that space at the bar when your friend and best mate have gone and it is very obvious that Jonathan has friends in abundance."