A professional masseur overdosed after taking pain

A professional masseur overdosed after taking painkillers for an arm injury while ‘hopelessly drunk’ an inquest heard today (WEDS).

Tragic Anthony Hackett, 35, complained to his partner that his shoulder was sore after an appointment with a client.

He took a number of powerful pills to numb the pain – but washed them down with vodka and beer.

The former Tower Hamlets housing officer was found sprawled on a sofa at his home in central London the following day.

Mr Hackett had suffered from depression in the past, and police at first thought the death was an attempted joint suicide with gay lover James McAleavey.

But Mr McAleavey told Westminster Coroner’s Court: ‘I can assure you that wasn’t the intention that night.

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The inquest heard how Mr Hackett, from Coventry, had lived with Mr McAleavey for nine years.

On May 18 this year, after seeing his last client of the day, Mr Hackett decided to take tablets for agonising shoulder pains.

Throughout the evening he swallowed more pills, and drank vodka and beer.

Mr McAleavey told the court of the heartbreaking moment when he found his partner at their home in Chepstow Road, Paddington, the next morning.

He said: ‘His legs were across the sofa and his head had fallen from the sofa onto the floor.

‘He was definitely dead – there was no way I could revive him.

‘The night before he was pouring very large measures of vodka, and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he forgot – or didn’t realise – how many pills he had taken.

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Pc Roy Brown, of Harrow Road police station, said when he arrived at the scene Mr McAleavey’s behaviour made him think it was a double-suicide which had gone wrong.

But Mr McAleavey added: ‘If it had been, I would have been in the same room as him, and I would have made sure it had worked.

‘There was no intention for us in any way to commit suicide.

We were looking at a holiday in Mexico.

Tony had been happy the night before – drinking and laughing.

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A post mortem revealed that Mr Hackett died from paracetamol and alcohol intoxication.

Recording a verdict of misadventure, the Coroner Paul Knapman said: ‘It is not as though he had a massive amount of a mixture of drugs.

‘Probably, whilst hopelessly drunk, Mr Hackett took rather more of his painkillers than he ought to have done.

‘Whether this was in contemplation of suicide or not we will never know with any certainty, but I believe there is substantial doubt about the matter.

‘I think it more likely than not that this is an incautious overdose of a person who is very much under the influence of alcohol.

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ends