A MAN who died while staying at the Vision of Hope farm in Monmouthshire was a heroin user, an inquest heard.
Anthony Ricketts was found locked in his room on August 15, 2020, by staff and pronounced deceased by the paramedic at the scene.
Shortly before he died, Mr Ricketts, 36, confirmed with Kaleidoscope Project, the Gwent Drug and Alcohol Service, that he was doing well in his recovery and no longer needed support.
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Assistant Coroner Naomi Rees ruled that Mr Ricketts had died from pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and the heroin - found in his system during the toxicology report - further contributed to his "already compromised respiratory function."
Mr Rickett's body was discovered by a staff member after alarms were raised that he hadn't been down to breakfast, as he usually would, at 8am.
The court also heard how he began using heroin back in 1999 after the death of his grandmother, and moved to Gwent from Birmingham in 2012 for GDA treatment.
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