Man overdosed behind youth club

On Tuesday an inquest was held into the death of Brett Phipps a 38-year-old labourer from Crisp Road, Lewes.

Mr Phipps died on May 22 last year behind Lewes Youth Centre on the Landport Estate.

The inquest heard Mr Phipps had been drinking strong lager and cider throughout the day and allegedly bought heroin from someone.

Together with heroin user Andrew Sowter, from the Malling Estate, he injected the heroin behind the youth centre.

Mr Sowter told the inquest he passed out after taking the drug but could remember seeing Mr Phipps injecting himself, and found him unconscious when he woke up.

He said: 'I slapped him around the face and gave him mouth-to-mouth and chest compressions but it didn't work.'

He ran to Landport Stores and asked staff to call for an ambulance. When paramedics arrived they were unable to revive Mr Phipps.

After Mr Phipp's death Mr Sowter was arrested on suscipion of supplying class A drugs, the inquest heard.

He denied this and named two other people.

At Tuesday's inquest Mr Phipp's estranged wife Marie Fuller, a carer from Kilnwood Lane, South Chailey, accused Mr Sowter of injecting her late husband with the heroin.

As a result, coroner Alan Craze warned her about her conduct at the inquest in Eastbourne.

Despite a police investigation no evidence of the drug deal was found and no-one was charged.

A post-mortem also revealed Mr Phipps had a heart condition which a pathologist felt may have contributed to his death.

He was also carrying the hepatitis C virus and in the month before he died he picked up an MRSA infection in a seeping ulcer in his ankle.

The coroner recorded a verdict of death due to dependence on drugs.