Bury man died after battle with drug use and epilepsy

Steven George Hogden, 34, died at his father’s house on Park Street in Swinton after being found unresponsive in his bedroom on December 5 last year.

Paramedics were sent to the address and he was pronounced dead, Bolton Coroner's Court heard at a documentary inquest.

Steven’s mother, Maureen Evans, said in a statement how Steven suffered with epilepsy and would often have bad seizures that would leave him confused.

She said: “When he left school, he wanted to be a mechanic or work in woodwork, but his epilepsy stopped this.

“He went to Bury College where he trained as a chef, he enjoyed this and worked at an Italian restaurant in Trafford.”

The court heard how he could not drive due to his epilepsy condition and had to cycle to work instead.

He then started to mix with people described as “bigger than him” and started taking drugs like cocaine which caused major problems.

Ms Evans said that Steven spent some time trying to recover from drug use and did eventually stop taking the substances, and his family were encouraged by the work he was doing to stop using them.

The court was also told that Steven had a daughter who went into foster care. He then applied for custody which was granted.

But an incident linked to previous drug use led to three masked men to come to his flat on Woodward Road in Prestwich. 

This led to his daughter being taken away from him.

Ms Evans said that Steven started to smoke crack cocaine and take heroin as a coping mechanism and was under Bury Drug Services, but he felt like they did not help.

He then went to live with his father in Swinton.

Ms Evans said that she called Steven on the Sunday before he died, and he sounded happy, but he said he had fallen off the wagon slightly.

She added: “Bringing Steven up was difficult, but he was a lovely person and always wanted to help others.”

Steven’s father, George Hogden, said that Steven came to live with him for the last eight to nine months and they had a good relationship with each other.

Mr Hogden knew Steven was a recovering heroin addict and said he had never seen him inject but knew syringes were in his bedroom.

Mr Hogden said: “On December 3, Steven came home with a black eye and I last saw him alive on December 4 when he was sat in the front room with his friend Paul Reynolds.”

He then went to bed leaving Steven and Paul downstairs.

In the morning, Mr Hogden walked past Steven’s room and went to the shops but he later returned home with Paul who said something was not right with Steven.

He was found on his bed unresponsive, and an ambulance was called.

Detective inspector Michael Sharples accepted that Steven was found unresponsive on the bed and had died on December 5.

He added that brown and grey items were seized from the house which were believed to be heroin or crack cocaine but there was no evidence of suspicious activity or a third party in relation to Steven’s death.

GP Dr Karin McCall from Silverdale Medical Practice said Steven had been diagnosed with epilepsy and suffered from depression, drug dependence and misuse.

Consultant toxicologist Julie Evans found mirtazapine in Steven’s urine but not in excessive amounts.

She also found diazepam and other benzodiazepines in his blood and urine as well as evidence of cocaine, methadone, opiums and heroin use.

The cause of death was found to be mixed drug toxicity.

Area Coroner for Manchester West, Professor Dr Alan Walsh, accepted that the cause of death was mixed drug toxicity.

He said: “Steven was someone who was capable of stopping drugs but always relapsed and he did in the last six weeks of his life.

“I accept he was found in unresponsive condition and would take a mixed quantity of drugs.

“There is no evidence that he wished to end his life and it was regrettably a drug-related death.”

Prof Walsh also expressed his condolences to the family who were not in attendance.

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