Sheffield NHS workers heartbroken as ‘lovely’ brother dies from cocktail of drugs and alcohol

Terry Johnson, of Ellerton Road, was found unresponsive in a flat on Gell Street in Broomhall on May 15 last year after he took a combination of herion, cocaine, pragabalin, amitriptyline and alcohol.

Paramedics were called at around 5am by Shane Hydes – the tenant of the flat – and Mr Johnson was pronounced dead at the scene.

Assistant coroner Katie Dickinson heard that Mr Johnson and Mr Hydes had met by chance encounter on May 14 and had spent the day together, going back to Mr Hydes’ flat and taking drugs and alcohol during the day and the following night.

In a statement to police Mr Hydes, 51, said that he and Mr Johnson had been smoking crack cocaine, drinking and injecting heroin.

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PC Charlotte Wilson told the inquest that, according to Mr Hydes’ statement, at one point Mr Johnson had been struggling to breathe, so Mr Hydes gave him some naloxone – an opioid blocker.

Once he was sure Mr Johnson was breathing properly Mr Hydes took more heroin and ‘went under’. When he came around he discovered Mr Johnson was unresponsive.

Police arrested Mr Hydes at the scene on suspicion of murder but he was later released without charge. Another man was arrested on suspicion of supplying the drugs, but was also released without charge.

Terry’s sister Elaine and brother Frankie, both NHS workers at the Northern General Hospital, were present at the inquest. They spoke of how Terry had recently been in prison and was struggling to adjust to life after being released. He had been prescribed with anxiety medication and had a history of suicide attempts.

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Elaine said: “Terry was very easily led and vulnerable. He was bordering on having learning difficulties.

"He needed the mental health team as he was struggling to adapt and to live. He had been seeing my sister every day who was feeding and there were no problems with him but then lockdown came along and there were problems.”

PC Wilson added: “There is nothing to indicate Terry was a drug addict. His housing key worker was not aware of any drug use and doctors were not raising any concerns about it.

"But when he was with somebody that was using he would join in. He admitted to using cannabis and moving onto heroin and other drugs.”

The inquest heard that Mr Johnson has a history of drug use that was known to his friends, including intravenous drug use. However, friends quoted at the inquest that he used drugs recreationally and was not considered addicted.

Giving her conclusion, Mrs Dickinson found that Mr Johnson died a drugs and alcohol related death.

Speaking about growing up with her brother on Fox Hill, Elaine said: “Our Terry was a lovely lad. He was the youngest of 14 so he was the baby of the family.”

Frankie added: “We were always going on walks up Birley Woods and we would go swimming together.”

"We were always playing out. Our family didn’t have any money but we can hold our heads up high about where we came from.”