A man who had “seemed fine” the night before his death and was “looking forward to Christmas” died as a result of misadventure through cocaine consumption, an inquest has concluded.

Mark Brown, 43, was found by his uncle, Roy Jones, at around 10am on June 17 after he had gone to check on him.

Mark, born in Burnley, moved in with his uncle in Nelson about 15 years ago as he tried to help him control his alcohol and drug misuse.

A statement submitted to the court by Mr Jones said Mark had previously suffered seizures though these had subsided since being given medication at Airedale Hospital.

He added that the evening before his death, Mark had been wandering around the house mumbling as though he was imagining things.

The next morning Mr Jones was working outside and went to check on Mark at around 10am, where he found he had died.

Police attended and confirmed there were no suspicious circumstances. He was taken to Royal Preston Hospital for a post-mortem examination which found there were several abnormalities consistent with history of known alcohol dependence.

A toxicology report from Sheffield Teaching Hospitals said there was evidence of recent cocaine use.

Dr Susan Cox, who performed the examination, said the most likely cause of death was a cardiac death on the back of cocaine use.

Mark’s sister, Carole Cunningham, said he was “much-loved and much-missed by his family.”

Coroner Richard Taylor offered a conclusion of misadventure, saying: “Mark Stephen Henry Brown died on June 17, 2023, at his home having ingested an excess of cocaine.”