A 44-year-old man lay dead at his Dymock home for about a month before police broke in and found his body after concerned neighbours raised the alarm, a coroner heard yesterday (April 30).

But news of Simon Schonning-Pocock's death did not reach Gloucester Crown Court - where he was subject to a suspended prison sentence - and a warrant was issued for his arrest when he did not attend a hearing two months after his body had been found.

The inquest into Mr Schonning-Pocock's death was conducted by Gloucestershire coroner Katy Skerrett, who heard that he had not been seen alive since before Christmas last year.

She recorded a conclusion that he died a drug-related death after being told that his body was surrounded by prescribed medication packets. Police found no suspicious circumstances and confirmed his identity by fingerprints.

The coroner heard that concerned local residents had raised the alarm with the police in January when they realised they had not seen him for about a month.

Mrs Skerrett read out a number of reports, one from a PC Wiltshire who stated that he forced entry into the flat in Western Way, Dymock, at 5.50pm on January 20 after speaking to neighbours who had not seen him since before Christmas.

PC Wiltshire said: “The flat was tidy and well kept and Mr Schonning-Pocock was found in his bed, clearly deceased. On the bedside table there were boxes of medication, some empty with others still having their contents in its packaging.”

Sergeant Wheeler, a scenes of crime officer, said the flat was completely secure and there were no signs of disturbance and he found nothing to suggest that Mr Schonning-Pocock intended to self harm or commit suicide.

He concluded that there was no evidence to support his death as being suspicious in any way.

The toxicologist reported that Mr Schonning-Pocock had a high concentration of morphine in his system and suggested that as he had been prescribed two types of medication his body had built a tolerance to the drugs, which explained the high dosage.

He also noted that he had a significant amount of Tramadol in his system, along with anti-depressant drugs, all which had been taken prior to death.

The court heard that pathologist Professor Neil Sheppard agreed with the toxicologist’s findings and concluded that the combined effect caused acute drug toxicity.

Mr Schonning-Pocock’s GP told the court that he had suffered from mental health issues, bi-polar disorder and following him taking an accidental overdose of morphine in September 2019 he had been given medication reviews.

The coroner said: “Mr Schonning-Pocock was suffering from depression primary dating back to 2015 for police enquires and court matters. He appears to have been in a low mood, but no recent deterioration to note.

“He died some time prior to January 20 and died from acute drug toxicity due to the excessive amounts of tramadol and morphine in his system

"There are no suspicious circumstances surrounding this man’s death.”

Last week, Judge Michael Cullum sitting at Gloucester crown court was told that Mr Schonning-Pocock had died when police tried to execute a warrant for his arrest for failing to attend a court hearing on March 20th.

That warrant had been issued because Schonning-Pocock had failed to attend court to face an allegation that he had breached the terms of a suspended jail term imposed in November 2018 for criminal damage, burglary and assault.

Subsequently the court was presented with a copy of Mr Schonning-Pocock's death certificate and the breach case was closed.

Coroner’s conclusion: Drug related death.