Doctor's son Niall Pinches died of a heroin overdose hours after using the drug, an inquest heard.

The 26-year-old and three other friends went to the Barton estate, Oxford, where they bought heroin before going back to Pinches' home in Gordon Drive, Abingdon, to inject it.

Christopher Bonar, of Copse Lane, Marston, Oxford, did not turn up to his friend's inquest in Oxford yesterday. His statement to the police was read out by the coroner, Nicholas Gardiner.

The court heard Mr Bonar, who did the drug deal, said: "He said something about it being strong stuff."

They both fell asleep before Mr Bonar woke up to discover Mr Pinches, who might have had another hit of heroin, could not breathe properly and had turned blue.

Mr Bonar called 999 and tried to resuscitate his friend but gave the wrong address by mistake to the emergency services at first. When the paramedics did arrive they also tried resuscitation, but failed. One of the other friends, Christopher Perry-Taylor, of Cherwell Close, Abingdon, who had recently spent more than a year with Mr Pinches in Australia, said in written evidence: "We prepared the heroin. Chris injected it in his elbow. He behaved quite strange and seemed to lose his legs and fall to the floor."

Consultant pathologist Dr Peter Millard told the hearing that the level of heroin in Mr Pinches' body was more than twice the lethal limit. Det Con David Evans, of Abingdon police, said in a report to the coroner that the police had not been able to find out who had sold them the heroin.

He said: "At this moment it's not likely that proceedings will take place against any individual."

Coroner Nicholas Gardiner recorded a verdict of accidental death.

He said: "The problem when buying street drugs is that one can never be sure what one is buying. It may have been more concentrated than those who bought it expected."

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