A REGISTERED drug user who had recently kicked his habit was found dead in a friend's flat after taking a lethal cocktail of drink and drugs.

Electrician Stephen Sunman, 31, visited his childhood friend Simon Welby at his home in Nunnery Lane, York, for the first time in six months in January.

But when Mr Welby woke up the next morning he found his friend lying dead in the spare room.

A York inquest heard that Mr Sunman, of Southfield Crescent, Dringhouses, York, had cocaine, heroin and alcohol in his blood.

Toxicologists found that Mr Sunman, who suffered from chronic hepatitis, had died from the "adverse affects" of the three substances taken together.

Mr Welby told the inquest that when his friend of 25 years arrived he had said he was "really wired", and had taken two £15 rocks of cocaine and drunk half a bottle of whisky that evening. He was concerned about his friend who was "hyper and on edge", but they had all gone to bed at about midnight.

When he woke at about 10am the next day, Mr Welby said he discovered his friend "purple and blue and stone cold" in a bedroom.

York coroner Donald Coverdale said it was to Mr Sunman's credit that he had stayed away from heroin for four or five months. But he had fallen back into his habit and taken a "large quantity" of drugs.

Recording a verdict of death by dependence on drugs, Mr Coverdale said that drinking alcohol while taking drugs was potentially fatal.

He said: "I can only hope that the knowledge of this death will become known to other users of these substances, and help them realise that death from heroin overdose is comparatively common and a clear and distinct risk."

Updated: 11:50 Thursday, November 07, 2002