THE death of a single, jobless man whose body was found near a Warminster woodland beauty spot was drug-related, a coroner has found.
Ian Singleton, the assistant coroner for Wiltshire and Swindon, delivered his finding at the resumption of an inquest in Salisbury on Wednesday (November 20) into the death of Daniel Alan Griffiths.
In April, the coroner heard that Mr Griffiths, 33, was found dead by a man out jogging near woodland at Cradle Hill in Warminster on July 21 last year. The cause of death was a stab wound to the chest.
Mr Singleton was forced to adjourned the inquest on April 29 saying he needed further evidence to arrive at a decision after being told Mr Griffiths’ family had made a complaint about his mental health treatment.
Kevin Griffiths, 59, from Warminster, told the coroner the Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership team at the Royal United Hospital in Bath had carried out an “incomplete” assessment of his son’s mental health condition and that he had made a formal complaint in February about his treatment.
The court was told that since the inquest in April, the AWMHP had undertaken a review and that procedural shortfalls had been identified and addressed. Mr Griffiths and his family were now satisfied with the changes made.
Mr Griffiths, 33, of Anchor Court, Warminster, was taken to the RUH by ambulance on July 19 2018 after complaining of “voices in his head” telling him to harm himself.
He was assessed by a member of the Avon & Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership’s team at the RUH and discharged with a prescription for diazepam and a note for his GP in the early hours of July 20.
He was taken home by a taxi-driver friend with the prescription and a note to his local GP to give him Olanzapine, which is an anti-psychotic drug primarily used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
Mr Griffiths took the note to The Avenue Surgery in Warminster but the duty GP, Dr Charlotte Holliday, refused to give it to him, saying she preferred him to see him being properly assessed by a mental health specialist before being prescribed more drugs.
He walked out of the surgery leaving behind his mobile phone and a further prescription for diazepam in the pocket of his jumper.
Mr Griffiths’ body was later found by David Simpson, while out jogging near Cradle Woods in Warminster on July 21. He had stabbed himself in the chest with a kitchen knife.
If you have been affected by this report, for confidential support call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch, or see samaritans.org for details.
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