Remiss drug user finds friend dead

A HEROIN user got up one morning and made himself a coffee before remembering his friend had overdosed the night before and was in fact dead on his lounge floor.

Nelson coroner Ian Smith has ruled that Richard Phillip Sim (41) died of a heroin overdose.

Sergeant Arthur Clarence told the coroner's court that on December 21, 2005, Mark Leonard Stevenson came to the police station and told him Mr Sim had died at his house.

The men had injected heroin together in the afternoon and Stevenson gave Mr Sim CPR when he became quiet, slumped and appeared not to be breathing.

Stevenson could not make the phone work so drove towards Takaka police station, but never got there.

On the way home he missed the turnoff from the main road, ran out of petrol and had to walk home in the dark.

When he got home he gave Mr Sim CPR again, put him in the recovery position, then went to bed. He woke the next day about 1.30pm and, forgetting what had happened, made a coffee and went out to the veranda.

He then remembered Mr Sim and saw he was now cold and stiff.

In February Stevenson was convicted of allowing his premises to be used for the consumption of heroin, possessing instruments for the consumption of heroin and possessing heroin.NZPA