Ethan Hamer died from drug-related death says coroner

An inquest held at Accrington Town Hall heard how Ethan Hamer was just 23 years old when he died as a result of his ketamine use.

Described by his dad, Craig Hamer, as a “loving father and son with a bubbly, funny personality”, Ethan was said to have been consuming ketamine daily, and his intake had increased dramatically following the death of his mother in 2024.

A statement from Craig, read out by coroner Sian Jones, said: “He was a loving father and son and was a bubbly, funny character, but in recent years he had begun to lose himself and he became heavily reliant on ketamine.

“He would smoke cannabis daily, and he was consuming ketamine daily. But I didn’t know the true extent, but when he lost his mum in 2024, and he lost his granddad in 2020, that is when it really started.”

“He relied on the ketamine to deal with the grief, which led to him suffering physical effects, and he would take more to block out the physical and emotional pain.”

In his statement, he also addressed how the drug was accessible and cheap to young people and raised concerns about it being an epidemic across the UK, with calls for changing it from a Class B to a Class A drug.

Earlier this year, the government sought expert advice on the classification of the drug, with an estimated 269,000 people aged 16-59 reporting ketamine use in the year ending March 2024.

On April 24, Ethan called an ambulance and attended Blackburn Royal Hospital, citing chronic pains in his stomach and that he couldn’t stop urinating.

The court heard how he stayed there until the early hours of April 25, before he self-discharged from the hospital.

Ethan was said to have not eaten or drunk for days before the incident and was suffering from an acute shutdown of his kidneys.

Concerns were raised by the family as to why he was able to self-discharge, especially as Ethan had particularly high levels of potassium in his system, something that was flagged as potentially life-threatening.

However, Ethan was deemed to be at full capacity and was able to decide for himself, despite doctors' warning him that it was unwise to leave the hospital.

He reassured doctors that he was okay, and they asked him to eat three meals and drink four litres of water and to call 999 immediately if his condition deteriorated.

Ms Jones said: “He was determined to self-discharge, and it could not be undertaken without his consent, despite medical staff now wanting to discharge him.

“They wanted to talk to him and change his mind, noting his level of addiction and complaints that he was in pain, and that was likely caused by his ketamine addiction and that ketamine may resolve for him.

“The need he felt to obtain ketamine might have meant he had to leave the department.”

On April 25, social services were contacted by Craig, who had become concerned for his son’s welfare.

An email was received by the emergency team at social services from Ethan’s social worker after Craig had requested that someone check on him, but due to the team prioritising verbal contact, this request was overlooked.

Since then, social services confirmed that they had improved handover shifts at the weekend, and a clear list of tasks would be passed on to the staff member at the start of their shift.

Whilst concluding, Ms Jones said: “I do recognise he had the benefit of the love and support of his family, and I appreciate how heartbreaking it can be for those who want to be able to help him, and it is clear that he and his father tried to do that.

“No criticism of Ethan, who was unwell, or his family, who were trying everything they could to be in contact with him.

“Addiction can lead to unwise decisions being made by an adult, although I do appreciate the frustration and heartbreak with the outcome of that.”

Ms Jones recorded the conclusion of a drug-related death.