A ‘TROUBLED’ man who struggled to cope with the loss of his parents died from a cocaine overdose, an inquest found.

Thomas Cannon, 45, was discovered by friends at his Dixon Court flat in Carlisle on January 25.

An inquest into his death heard he had cared for both his parents before they died and he had been ‘very close’ to his mum, who passed away in 2005.

His dad had then died in 2012 and he ‘seemed to lose purpose in life’, Cockermouth Coroners’ Court heard.

Mr Cannon’s sister, Elaine Morley, said he had autistic tendencies and struggled to cope with anxiety when he wasn’t on medication.

He became very unwell in 2022 and was diagnosed with pneumonia. His sister said the family were told there was nothing that could be done and his ventilator needed to be turned off but he continued to breathe. She said it was ‘a miracle’.

Ms Morley said her brother was struggling with addiction and was going to Recovery Steps. She said Christmas 2023 was a ‘lovely time’ and Mr Cannon had spent the day at her home and he had shared stories about their mum.

In January 2024, a friend began staying at his flat and Ms Morley said she was glad that he had company while she wasn’t there.

Paying tribute to her brother, Ms Morley said: “Despite Tom being troubled throughout his life, he was a light in the room. He would do anything for anyone. He was always polite and had old school manners.

“Tom will be remembered as a kind soul who left a huge mark on our lives.”

The family also praised PC Elizabeth O’Neil for her support and said she did a ‘tremendous job’.

A statement from PC O’Neil said police had been called by the ambulance service to a suspected drug overdose at Dixon Court on January 25.

When officers arrived on the scene, Mr Cannon’s death had been diagnosed.

A statement from Mr Cannon’s GP said he had a long history of drug misuse and also suffered from anxiety and depression.

Mr Cannon’s key worker at Recovery Steps said he had disclosed using heroin in December 2023.

A toxicology report detected cocaine at a ‘very elevated’ concentration, which led to his death. The cause of death was a cocaine overdose.

Margaret Taylor, assistant coroner for Cumbria, concluded that Mr Cannon’s death was drug-related.