A 24-year-old man with a history of suicidal thoughts was found dead at his Midlands home following a police stand-off, but a coroner has ruled that he did not intend to take his own life.
Shane Beckett, a user of illicit drugs, died at his home in Copes Avenue, Tunstall, on June 21 last year. An inquest heard that Staffordshire Police were called to the property in the early hours following reports of a man chasing two others with a large bladed weapon.
A police officer told the inquest: 'En-route to the location, we were made aware that the male was believed to be Shane Beckett. We arrived at 1.41am and went to the front door. I noticed no obvious signs of disturbance outside. I knocked loudly on the door several times.'
After 10 minutes, officers at the rear of the property reported that they had made contact with a male inside who mentioned he was feeling suicidal. The officer said Shane refused to open the door and suggested he would 'cause a problem' if they tried to arrest him.
After around 25 minutes, Shane appeared to calm down. The officer continued: 'Mr Beckett came back to the door while I was stood in front of it. He posted through a large brown-handled kitchen knife to me. He said something like: "That's all I've got." It was difficult to hear him properly as he kept going back further inside the house. I heard him say he was sorry. I asked what for. He said: "For everything bro." I again tried to reassure him. I told him that it would be alright and that we just wanted to get to the bottom of whatever had gone on. I felt that he may open the door soon as he seemed to have calmed down. I moved the knife away and placed it in our police car. I was instructed to kit up into our firearms gear.'
When several minutes passed without communication, officers were authorised to force entry. The officer said: 'We could see straight through the hallway. A pair of legs were at the top of the staircase, as if someone was lying on the upstairs landing. We went straight to the individual. He was lying partly in the bathroom on his back. I could see he was not breathing. I ran to get the med-kit from the car, while the other officers performed CPR. I handed relevant equipment to help this, including airway management equipment, a defibrillator, oxygen and a bag valve mask. Paramedics arrived and took over medical treatment. A doctor pronounced life extinct.'
A detective recovered a large quantity of drugs from the property, including snapbags filled with white powder, scales with powder, balloons, nitrous oxide, cannabis, and multiple bags of brown powder. Some substances were stuffed into the bathroom sink.
Dr Shivaji, consultant psychiatrist at the Lyme Brook Centre, told the inquest Shane had a long history of mental health difficulties, including managing emotions, substance misuse, aggression, and violent impulsive acts. He also struggled with suicidal thoughts and self-harm.
A toxicology report showed an excessive amount of cocaine in Shane's system, alongside morphine, and small amounts of alcohol and ketamine.
Coroner Daniel Howe ruled out suicide, concluding Shane suffered a drug-related death. He said: 'I have to determine whether Shane ingested the drugs with the intent to end his own life. He did have a history of suicidal thoughts and had previously overdosed on prescription medication. He did say he felt suicidal that night. But the drugs that led to his death, primarily cocaine, are not ones typically associated with intentional overdoses. And Shane's previous deliberate overdoses had been done with prescription medication. He was documented as being a user of illicit drugs. He was at risk of accidental death through this drug use. Against that background, I am not satisfied that the drugs were taken with the intent to take his own life. I do not believe this was an act of suicide.'
