Inquest: Former company director died after drinking binge (From Bucks Free Press)

Inquest: Former company director died after drinking binge

10:20am Wednesday 18th July 2012 in News

A FORMER company director - who had been drinking heavily for a decade after being made redundant - was discovered dead by his son after a drinking binge, an inquest heard.

Neil Thomas, 51, was found in the bathroom of his home in Gregories Road, Beaconsfield, by son Chris Thomas at 5pm on February 24.

A toxicology report revealed Mr Thomas had 374mgs of alcohol per decilitre of blood – four and a half times the legal drink driving limit.

The inquest heard that Mr Thomas, a former international marketing director for a pharmaceutical company, had been drinking heavily for about ten years after his position was made redundant.

Chris said his father knew he was drinking too much but, despite a few attempts, he “wasn’t willing to do too much about it”

Recording a verdict of accidental death, the Buckinghamshire Coroner Richard Hulett said: “Mr Thomas was a man who had been highly placed and in a senior role at one time, but went into a decline due chiefly to excess alcohol which had a destructive effect on his life.

“People were very supportive of him but he didn’t want to change.

“On this event, the blood alcohol level has reached such a level he has died. He didn’t want to die but he did due to the sheer volume of alcohol in his blood. Anything above 300mgs is dangerous.”