Eastbourne man found dead in park

Neil Palliser was found dead by a passerby in Gildredge Park on July 4.

An inquest at Eastbourne Town Hall on Thursday (December 17) heard that Mr Palliser, a driver who lived at Hyde Gardens supported living, had a long history of mental health and alcohol problems.

Mr Palliser had suffered with alcohol issues since he was a teenager according to his brother, Sean Palliser. He also said his brother had struggled when their mother died and their father went into a care home.

Sean Palliser said, “Neil took mum’s death badly. He wasn’t able to look after himself, I was very worried about him.”

Mr Palliser’s GP, Dr Marcus Gaffney, said that he suffered with paranoid schizophrenia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease due to smoking.

Dr Gaffney also said that Mr Palliser was difficult to contact and often missed appointments – which Dr Greg Baginski, his consultant psychiatrist, agreed with.

Dr Baginski said, “He never attended appointments or answer his mobile. He showed little insight into his alcohol problems.”

Due to Mr Palliser’s ‘lack of insight’ he was never involved with STAR, the alcohol and substance abuse recovery service, because Dr Baginski believed he wouldn’t have cooperated with them because of the self-referral nature to the service.

The inquest heard Mr Palliser had an alcohol relapse between May and June this year when he was discharged from Amberstone Hospital in Hailsham and moved to supported living.

East Sussex coroner James Healy-Pratt ruled that Mr Palliser’s death was due to alcohol toxicity with underlying conditions of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Mr Healy-Pratt said, “Alcohol was the way he dealt with his demons and he had a big relapse that day - the day pubs opened again after lockdown restrictions.

“He had a history of mental health issues as well as dependency on alcohol, and in spite of some treatment he continued to consume alcohol which resulted in his death.”