A 19-year-old High Wycombe man died after a taking a fatal amount of morphine, an inquest heard this week.


Stephen Young, of the Old Tea Warehouse, Station Close, took a 200mg morphine tablet on April 20 and died the following morning.


A post-mortem revealed he died from morphine toxicity and he had 460mg of morphine per litre of blood.


Coroner Richard Hulett said doses of 120g or more may lead to death and Mr Young had four times this potentially fatal limit.
 

DC David Percival read accounts from Paul Dockerty and Jamie-Lee McVey, who had slept rough with Mr Young on April 19.
 

The following day Jamie-Lee told police Mr Young had taken the tablet and became ill, struggling to walk and looking sleepy.


They later checked into The Drake Court Hotel in London Road, where they left him while they went to get food.
 

When they returned to the room they said he was still sleeping. She said when she woke up at 2am during the night he was still snoring.


But when she woke at around 9am she felt Stephen’s arm was cold. They checked his pulse and then called an ambulance. He was declared dead at hospital.


Mr Hulett recorded a verdict of accidental death and said: “As far as I’m concerned, he did not mean for that to happen at all.”


His father Cordis Young said he was surprised to hear there was another person in the room when Stephen died as he was initially told his son was only with Ms McVey.


He added: “Luckily he died in his sleep. I am happy for me and the wife that he died in his sleep. Stephen was a lovely lad. He liked to have fun. He loved basketball. When it came to friends, he was very easily led. Overall he was a brilliant lad, he will be missed.”