A MAN from St Asaph had become a “recluse” who refused to answer the door or his phone before his death, an inquest heard.
Brian Woodside Hutchinson was found dead, aged 59, at his home in Llys Pen Y Cefndy, Rhyl, on November 27, 2023.
At the conclusion of the inquest into his death in Ruthin today (July 4), Kate Robertson, assistant coroner for North Wales East and Central, provided a conclusion of drug-related death.
The inquest heard that Mr Hutchinson had been born in St Asaph on November 21, 1964, the youngest of four brothers.
He grew up in Kingsley Avenue, Rhyl and was educated at Rhyl High School, going on to graduate with a degree in Chemistry.
Described as "extremely intelligent", Mr Hutchinson had moved down south to the Slough area, where he worked for several pharmaceutical companies.
He never married and had no children, but did enjoy salmon and trout fishing, as well as walking and mountaineering.
His brother Andrew told the inquest that Mr Hutchinson had returned to live with their mother in Rhyl in 2014 and was “clearly in financial difficulties”, but refused to engage in conversations about his personal life.
He had noticed a “deterioration” in his brother’s health, with his skin “covered in sores” and believing Brian had not managed the situation.
There were concerns with Mr Hutchinson taking “street drugs” including crack cocaine and heroin, and that his physical and mental health continued to deteriorate.
During his time in Rhyl, Mr Hutchinson “became more of a recluse”, refusing to answer his door or telephone, with his brother expressing concern about his weight loss and general hygiene – his property was also in a poor condition.
Mr Hutchinson was first referred to the Hafod Community Mental Health Team in 2017, which continued up to 2019 and 2020.
A few years before his death, Mr Hutchinson had suffered a bleed on the brain and was in an induced coma.
Andrew told the inquest that the family had “never had any concerns” with his brother in his younger years, but that “something had clearly happened” when he had lived in Slough and that he “wasn’t the Brian we knew and loved”.
Mr Hutchinson had been under the care of a substance misuse team since January 2019, but reported regular crack cocaine and heroin use in March 2020.
By February 2023, he was now “opioid dependent” and also required dermatological care – he stopped picking up his prescription medication in June.
He now failed to answer calls from various health support teams, but did report in September that he was experiencing opioid withdrawal.
Mr Hutchinson failed to attend several appointments in November 2023, but did attend one with the Hafod team on November 23.
At that point, he has “severe” eczema, expressed “paranoid or delusional” beliefs, and believed that people were coming into his home causing him “stress”.
Despite saying he felt “much better” and denied having suicidal thoughts, he did report relapsing into heroin use.
He was found deceased at his home on November 27, with paramedics stating he had been dead for a “couple of days” – there was no sign of drug use or paraphernalia, and no signs of suspicious circumstances.
A post-mortem examination was conducted by Dr Hayam Abdulsalam, a consultant pathologist at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, who found high levels of morphine in the blood, as well as the presence of heroin and cocaine use.
Mr Abdulsalam gave a medical cause of death of pneumonia, due to combined cocaine and heroin use and contributing emphysema.
Mrs Robertson ruled out any intent on the part of Mr Hutchinson to end his life at the time, and said the consumption of illicit substances led to his pneumonia.
She gave the conclusion of a drug-related death, and expressed her sincerest condolences to his brother and family.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here