A 38-YEAR-OLD father from Newport died after taking cocaine and drinking alcohol on a night out in the city, a coroner has concluded.
Craig Mitchell died at a friend's house on July 28 last year after collapsing. Friends and paramedics both tried to revive him.
Mr Mitchell was a hard-working father who cared deeply about his son, an inquest at Newport Coroner's Court heard on Tuesday.
Mr Mitchell liked to drink alcohol and sometimes took drugs recreationally, his brother Rhys Probert said in a statement read to the court.
But Mr Mitchell's life "spiralled out of control" when his relationship with his partner ended, Mr Probert added.
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The coroner heard how Mr Mitchell, a former butcher at a Tesco supermarket, lost his job and his home after turning to alcohol and drugs.
He was homeless for six months and spent a lot of time staying with family and friends.
On the night of July 27, 2019, Mr Mitchell turned up at the home of his friend Chantelle Thomas in the Maindee area of Newport. He had spent the evening with another friend, visiting pubs in the city centre.
When Ms Thomas and her partner, Ross Marshall, opened the door, Mr Mitchell collapsed and was unable to stand on his own, the court heard.
Mr Mitchell became unresponsive and turned blue, and Mr Marshall attempted CPR while Ms Thomas called 999.
Paramedics took over efforts to revive Mr Mitchell, but were unsuccessful and he was pronounced dead.
Caroline Saunders, the senior coroner for Gwent, heard medical evidence from Mr Mitchell's post mortem examination, which showed alcohol, as well as cocaine and its products, were found in his blood.
Ms Saunders said Mr Mitchell's life had "taken a downturn" in the time leading up to his death.
Recording a conclusion of a death- and alcohol-related death, Ms Saunders concluded that Mr Mitchell died of asphyxia.
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