Recovering junkie 'disappeared' in prison system

Martin Stubbs died in April aged 29 following a life-time of drug and alcohol addiction.

He had been receiving help, support and treatment at Dr John Revill's drug addiction clinic at the Low Edges and Batemoor medical centre since 2001 - with periods on drug replacement implants to fight his addictions.

But at some time after March 2006 Martin, of Lupton Road, Low Edges, was sentenced to a term in jail.

Dr Revill told an inquest into Martin's death: "I wrote a letter to the court explaining his situation, and after that he just disappeared as far as we were concerned. We got nothing back from the court or from the prison to tell us what was going on.

"Between March and September he did not come to our clinic - I presumed he was in prison."

Martin's father David Stubbs told the hearing his son had spent one month in jail, but was unsure when this was.

Dr Revill said when Martin did return on September 11 he was "in a terrible mess" - having lost three stone and suffering with asthma as a result of smoking cigarettes.

He was put back on medication to help him fight his addictions, as well as tablets for depression - which he would pick up on a daily prescription from the local chemist. But an anti-social behaviour order imposed on Martin banned him from the Low Edges estate and the support he received at the medical centre.

Dr Revill said: "He became homeless, he was sleeping in bail hostels - we had to communicate with all sorts of chemists to try and get him his medication. Often they weren't as willing to help in the way we were."

And on February 17 this year he was found collapsed from a suspected heroin overdose and taken to hospital.

By March both Dr Revill and Mr Stubbs said they were concerned about Martin's mental health - Mr Stubbs having tried unsuccessfully to get him sectioned at the Northern General Hospital, and Dr Revill asking for him to be admitted as an inpatient for mental health reasons.

But Martin was not admitted to hospital and was found dead by his friend Richard Bingley on April 7 at his home in Firshill Mews, Pitsmoor, where he had spent the previous night.

Mr Bingley told the inquest that Martin had been "on something" that night and they had shared a bottle of whiskey and lager. He added that he had said he was feeling depressed.

The inquest was adjourned in order to call pathologist and toxicologist Dr Christopher Milroy for evidence on what caused Martin's death after levels of drugs and alcohol found in his blood did not appear to be fatal, especially for a regular user.

The inquest resumes on Friday.

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