Inquest concludes for 'excellent father' from Holyport who died aged 40

A loving father from Holyport who died aged 40 was battling drug and alcohol addiction – eventually resulting in a toxic interaction that killed him, an inquest has determined.

Christopher Mason, better known as Chris, was born in Taplow in 1984. He lived in Holyport and had a son.

Though he had split up from his partner after 11 years, the pair continued to coparent their son ‘very well’ together after their separation, his former partner said.

The coroner, Robert Simpson, noted how Chris was ‘an excellent father’ when he had the capacity to be.

But Chris lived with the memories of a troubled childhood, featuring ‘a significant trauma’ – and carried ‘dark demons’ around with him as a result.

He was ‘a lovely man with a soft side and many insecurities’ according to his former partner, and he ‘suffered in silence and put on a brave face.’

Chris loved to cook and enjoyed taking his son out on bike rides and various sporting activities.

But over the years, Chris’ traumatic background built up on him. His mental health dipped and he struggled with anxiety, depression and insomnia, the inquest heard.

In the past, he had been prescribed antidepressants (Sertraline) – but was not taking anything for his mental health at the time of his death, nor was he in contact with mental health services.

Their last contact with Chris was on March 15, when he reported worsening mental health but no suicidal thoughts or thoughts of self-harm.

Chris was scheduled for a GP review of his mental health but did not attend this, the inquest heard. A risk assessment of Chris from eight months prior to his death classed him as ‘medium risk’.

His former partner told the coroner that Chris ‘coped the best he could’ but he repeatedly struggled with bouts of alcohol and drug misuse.

When he had a son, it ‘gave him a reason to get up’ each day and ‘be the best dad he could.’

Chris tried hard to put the drugs behind him and ‘did so well’, remaining clean for a while. He went to rehab and had been ‘successful at times’ in fighting back against his addiction.

He reached out for help on a few occasions and professed to be ‘fed up’ of drinking.

The inquest heard Chris began to self-medicate with diazepam or a similar substance, in an attempt to detox.

He took up to six tablets a day in some cases, which his ex-partner warned him was dangerous. The pills made him ‘very sleepy’ and at times he was ‘dazed and confused.’

In the days running up to Chris’ death, he declined to see his son as scheduled, because although he wanted to see him, he did not want his son to see him that way.

On July 3, Chris’ partner went to his home, having become increasingly concerned about his welfare and her inability to contact him.

When Chris did not answer his door, she was even more worried and decided to break in, in inquest heard.

She found Chris slumped over and non-responsive. Police later said he was ‘very clearly’ dead and the coroner concluded that by this point, ‘there were no lifesaving opportunities.’

Drug paraphernalia was found nearby and a postmortem examination of Chris led the coroner to conclude he died from the ‘combined toxic effects’ from a taking a combination of substances.

Mr Simpson said there was no evidence that Chris had any intention of taking his own life that day. Rather, the combination of drugs ‘overwhelmed his body’, leading to his death.

At the inquest, which concluded on Friday (Jan 10), Mr Simpson expressed his condolences to the family, and paid tribute to Chris, saying:

“His main purpose in life was his son [and] he was clearly an excellent father when he was able to fulfil that role.”

From the NHS website: “If you need treatment for drug addiction, you're entitled to NHS care in the same way as anyone else who has a health problem.

“With the right help and support, it's possible for you to get drug free and stay that way.

“A GP is a good place to start. They can discuss your problems with you and get you into treatment.

“They may offer you treatment at the practice or refer you to your local drug service.

“If you're not comfortable talking to a GP, you can approach your local drug treatment service yourself.

“Visit the Frank website to find support near you.

“If you're having trouble finding the right sort of help, call the Frank drugs helpline on 0300 123 6600. They can talk you through all your options.”