Coroner rules Exmouth man’s death was drug-related

A coroner has ruled that the death of an Exmouth man, whose body was found sitting in an armchair at his home, was drug-related.

A hearing at County Hall, Exeter, was told Robert Dance, 32, of Broadpark Road, was discovered unconscious by his sister and her boyfriend on April 27 last year.

A toxicology report found that there was morphine and a ‘therapeutic level’ of anti-depressants in his blood. A post-mortem stated the cause of death was morphine toxicity.

Assistant coroner for Exeter and Greater Devon Luisa Nicholson recorded a conclusion of a drug-related death. She said she was not satisfied Mr Dance had intended to end his own life.

She added: “It appears this latest incident was just too much for his body to take on this occasion.”

The inquest heard how Mr Dance had been taking drugs since he was 15 years old and had regularly seen his GP with dependency and overdose issues.

Mr Dance, who had a history of depression and anxiety, had been attending appointments with the RISE addiction team, the inquest heard.