Tragic death of heroin victim had 'brains to burn'

Russell Geoffrey Whitehead (42) died of an heroin overdose at his Daneshill Road home in Coleraine last February.

Whitehead, who was a chartered civil engineer, was found by his father and his brother, with a syringe in his hand, on February 24.

The inquest heard that Whitehead had been battling with a heroin addiction for some eight years.

Speaking after the inquest, Tristan Whitehead paid tribute to his brother.

He described him as a ‘great person’ who had ‘brains to burn’.

He said that it had been a hard year for the family and described his brother as a “good father”.

Just before his death, the father-of-two, had been taking part in a detox programme in Dublin.

Russell’s father, Geoffrey Whitehead, told the court that his son had spent some time in a Christian Men’s Home in Dublin, where he was “trying to get his life back on track”.

He said that he had spoken to his son three or four weeks before his death, and added that he “seemed in reasonable form’.

Giving evidence at the inquest in Coleraine, Russell’s brother Tristan said that he regularly visited his brother with groceries.

He said that he had called on the day of his death, and could not get into his brother’s flat.

Tristan said that was a regular ocurrence as his brother often didn’t answer the door.

However, Tristan was worried and called his father. The pair forced the door of the flat open and found Russell lying face down in the living room.

A post mortem examination determined that he had died of heroin toxicity.

In closing, Coroner Suzanne Anderson warned of the ‘“grave dangers’ of taking ‘illicit drugs”.