Mystery surrounds the death of a man who was discovered by police at his home near Beaconsfield after being called out to a fear of welfare incident.

Herold Brady was found dead at home in Knotty Green sitting on the sofa, with his feet up on his coffee table, surrounded by several bottles of alcohol and numerous pills on October 1 last year, an inquest was told today (March 3).

Senior coroner for Bucks Crispin Butler heard concerned friends and colleagues called the police after Mr Brady, an entrepreneur, did not turn up for work and did not answer his door to his friends.

Officers reached the property at 6.30pm on the day and found all the doors and windows to be locked, and the blinds closed.

An officer went to the back of the property to see if he could see anything, and noticed loud music coming from one of the rooms. He also noticed one of the blinds at the back was partially closed, and, looking through, he saw a gentleman sitting on the sofa at the front of the property.

After breaking down the door, officers found Mr Brady on his sofa with his feet up on his coffee table and a number of bottles of wine – opened and unopened – on the table.

They also saw a bowl of unidentified pills, later finding an empty packet of tramadol in the kitchen, as well as more medication in the sink belonging to various other family members.

A toxicology found tramadol was taken by Mr Brady in “acute high doses”, saying he had taken a “large amount” of the strong painkiller.

Giving evidence at Beaconsfield Coroner’s Court, DS Johnson, who examined the scene, said no evidence of foul play was found in Mr Brady’s home to suggest third party involvement.

He also told the court that Mr Brady’s mobile phone was not found at the house and an iPad was seen in his bedroom, which was later removed by his business partner as it was a business iPad. DS Johnson said police did not find anything of concern on his iPad either.

He said a note was found in the safe of Mr Brady’s workplace in Watford, which read: “Look after Ella, Max and my mum.”

It was not said who Ella and Max were and the note was believed to have been left there sometime between September 25 and when Mr Brady died.

The medical cause of death was recorded as tramadol toxicity enhanced by alcohol and amitriptyline, the latter of which was also found to have been taken in acute high doses.

Mr Butler recorded an open conclusion, saying: “We are left with a mystery as to why this has happened.

“There are no indications of intent [to take his own life] at all.

“The note that was found could be suggestive of a whole manner of things.

“It certainly does appear from the circumstances and from the police investigations of the scene, and talking to a number of witnesses, that he did take the substances himself.

“It leaves me with two possible conclusions – it could be an accident caused by drugs and alcohol or suicide.”

He went on to say he did not have enough evidence to support either of those conclusions and recorded an open conclusion, saying: “The circumstances cannot be explained.”

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