JORDAN: TALENTED YOUNG ACTOR DIED AFTER FAILING TO TAKE INSULIN
An actor tipped for stardom was ‘too busy enjoying life’ to remember his insulin when he slipped into a diabetic coma and died, an inquest heard.
Kieron Jordan, 21, was a dedicated member of the National Youth Theatre who planned to study drama at Goldsmiths University in September.
He had started acting in his teens, when he was chosen to play the lead role in a stage production of Ken Loach’s Kes.
Diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 11, Mr Jordan needed daily injections of insulin to avoid life-threatening complications, Westminster Coroner’s Court heard.
But there was no insulin at the actor’s flat in Battersea, south west London, when he was found dead in bed on June 12.
He was discovered by best friend Billy Shields, a fellow NYT member, who broke down the door to reach him after seeing him through a window.
A post-mortem examination found immeasurably high levels of beta hydroxybutyrate, a lethal acid produced by untreated diabetics, in Mr Jordan’s blood.
West London coroner Fiona Wilcox said the young actor would not have died if he had taken his insulin.
But she did not believe his death was the result of deliberate self-neglect.
Giving evidence, pathologist Dr Peter Wilkins said: ‘We all don’t necessarily look after ourselves when we’re young unless we’re leaned upon.
‘It’s like a young person choosing not to go to the dentist and getting tooth decay – it’s not deliberate, they’re just too busy enjoying life.’
Mr Jordan, of Ravenet Court, Ravenet Street, had no problems managing his diabetes until he left home in 2008, the court heard.
But once he was living on his own, he started having complications and was hospitalised in October 2010 with a potentially-fatal case of diabetic ketoacidosis.
Discharged two days later, he failed to attend a follow-up appointment at St Bart’s Hospital, east London.
In a statement read by Ms Wilcox, Billy Shields said the actor had been heard vomiting by neighbours on the night before his death.
He added: ‘I have known Kieron for two years this July and we’ve been best friends during that time.
‘He was a good friend to me and sometimes lent me money or let me stay at his place when I had nowhere else to go.
‘I last saw him on Friday morning – he seemed fine, he didn’t say anything about feeling unwell or running low on medication.’
Mr Shields tried to call his friend twice the next day, but assumed he was rehearsing when his phone was switched off.
He finally went round on Sunday after receiving a concerned phone call from Mr Jordan’s father.
Ms Wilcox said: ‘Until 2008, care of Kieron’s diabetes while he was living with his parents appeared to be satisfactory and he had no complications.
‘We’ve heard that he was a very talented actor, who was also beginning to write and showed great promise.
‘Unfortunately his lifestyle was not as stable as it could have been, probably in common with a lot of young men his age.’
She gave the cause of Mr Jordan’s death as diabetic ketoacidosis.
Verdict: misadventure
Ends
