A BARROW man died of hypothermia after becoming too intoxicated to re-enter his flat following a late-night trip to an off-license during a bout of snowy weather, an inquest heard.

David Craig, 61, was found by a neighbour on the ground and ‘covered in snow’ outside his supported accommodation flat at Adelphi Court at around 1am on December 3, 2023. 

The neighbour helped him inside but rang 999 at around 1.30am after Mr Craig was still unable to stand, the hearing was told.

After the neighbour was questioned by the call handler about the urgency of Mr Craig’s condition, paramedics arrived on the scene at around 2.25am. 

He went into cardiac arrest at 3.20am in hospital and, despite the best efforts of medical professionals, he was pronounced dead at 5.55am. 

Mr Craig had lived in a flat at Adelphi Court which was managed by the Richmond Fellowship, a recovery-based mental health charity, from February 2022. 

A statement submitted to Cockermouth Coroner’s Court by Laura Whelan, from the Richmond Fellowship, said he had previously been diagnosed with schizophrenia and alcohol dependency with particular concerns about his self-neglect and alcohol intake. 

His flat was one of 11 at Adelphi Court which was staffed 12 hours a day 

She explained that prior to this, Mr Craig had lived in accommodation managed by another service provider with around-the-clock care and where alcohol consumption was not permitted. 

In December 2021, he was assessed by mental health professionals as requiring lower-level care and was referred to the Richmond Fellowship. 

Ms Whelan’s statement said on the evening of December 2 Mr Craig was seen by a member of staff for his evening support call and mentioned he wanted to ‘go to the shop’. 

The staff member looked around his flat, noting he had enough food and cigarettes to last until the morning, and ‘strongly advised against’ going to the shop due to the current weather conditions’ with the ground being ‘covered in ice’. 

Mr Craig was advised that staff would be present on the site until 9.30pm, the inquest heard.

CCTV footage showed Mr Craig leaving the building at around 10pm in ‘thin sweatpants and a winter coat’. 

He was seen again on camera at 11pm carrying a shopping bag and knocking on the door of the service building. 

The neighbour heard him ‘tapping’ at 1.15am and found him outside and unable to rise. 

Based on toxicology samples, assistant coroner for Cumbria Robert Cohen concluded he had ‘consumed a large amount of alcohol before his death’ and that this led him not being able to get back inside, directly causing his death. 

Mr Cohen classed Mr Craig’s death as alcohol-related with a direct cause of hypothermia and a contributory factor of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). 

Ms Whelan’s statement said: “Mr Craig was very content with the way he lived his life, often with a lack of concern for himself.  

“He made significant progress while living in Adelphi Court particularly with self-neglect.”