A YOUNG homeless man found dead on waste ground in Belfast city centre less than two years ago died of an overdose of heroin and prescription drugs, an inquest has found.
Dean Heatherington (22), who was originally from Coleraine, had a history of drug and alcohol abuse and self-harm.
Belfast Coroners Court heard he had been admitted to the accident and emergency department of the Royal Victoria Hospital the night before his death suffering from a drugs overdoes but discharged himself.
His father David Heatherington told the inquest at Laganside Courts yesterday that his son had lived with him until he was 14 or 15, and that he had been "a really healthy child" who was a good runner.
However, he said that his son, whose mother died in 2007, "went off the rails" when he was 14 or 15 after which he went into the care of Social Services.
The last time Mr Heatherington saw his son was around a month before his death, when he bought him food "but didn't give him cash in case he spent it on drink or drugs".
However, he said he didn't know his son was a heroin user.
A police officer told the coroner's court that he was called to waste ground behind the Holiday Inn in Hope Street on September 1, 2017 around 3.15pm after reports that a man's body had been seen there.
He found Mr Heatherington with his legs curled up to his chest and "flies swarming around his face and mouth".
A statement from a paramedic who attended the scene said Mr Heatherington had no pulse when he arrived
A quantity of heroin was found in his pocket along with a capsule. There was other drug paraphernalia around his body.
The court heard Mr Heatherington had taken drugs overdoses in the past, and on the day before his death had been admitted to A&E at the Royal Victoria Hospital, having taken heroin earlier in the evening.
He discharged himself and was found dead later that day.
The last person to see Mr Heatherington alive was another man who was homeless at the time.
Stephen Ewing said he had met Mr Heatherington, whom he knew simply as Dean, just a few days earlier at the Welcome Centre on the Falls Road.
He said he agreed to take heroin with him, which he had never taken before, and that the pair injected themselves, after which he couldn't remember anything until he woke up in hospital.
Coroner Ms Suzanne Anderson concluded that Mr Hetherington died of heroin toxicity combined with the effects of prescription drugs tramadol, diazepam and pregabalin. A low concentration of ecstasy was also found in his blood.
