Drug addict's body found weeks later

Friday 23 September 2016

An addict who told a friend that he was going cold turkey to come off drugs was found at his flat in St Helier weeks after he had died, his birthday cards left unopened on the doormat.

An inquest heard that Police found Jamie Robert John (43) face down at his flat in Devonshire Place on 25 February this year, just weeks after his birthday; because of the decomposition of his body the pathologist was unable to work out the cause of death or exactly when he had died.

The inquest heard how Mr John, who hadn't worked for a number of years and had a long history of addiction, had started drinking alcohol and using cannabis at 14, by 16 was taking ecstasy and at 23 started smoking heroin which he then went on to inject.

His mum, Sharon, told Police that she had been worried about him in the weeks leading up to his death. 

She tried to visit him on 30 January, which was his birthday, but he didn't answer the door, so she slid three birthday cards underneath it. There was also no answer when she went back on 24 February but she couldn't get in because she'd forgotten her key. She went back again the next day with the key but couldn't get in with it, so she called the police.

She told Police: "In my spirit, I knew Jamie was dead, my legs were wobbly."

The Police found him fully dressed, face down on the lounge floor.

Consultant pathologist Dr Helen Goulding said she couldn't ascertain the cause of his death because of the decomposition of the body but Tony Forder, the Police Viscount's Liaison Officer said hat they weren't treating the death as suspicious and there was no third party involved.

Ms John described her son as very quiet, gentle, a bit of an enigma and someone who was into conspiracy theories. She told police that he was very popular at school, very musical and that he kept himself to himself. She said his party days were over and that in the end he struggled even to go to the shops.

At the inquest, the Deputy Viscount Mark Harris concluded that Mr John had died four and six weeks prior to being found at his flat on 25 February.