James Powner

James Powner died at a flat in Queens Drive, Leek.

A man was initially arrested on suspicion of murder after the police were told that he had been assaulted, but his post mortem was inconclusive and failed to find any evidence of trauma or assault. Further, it was determined that he had a wide range of drugs in his system that were more than enough to have caused his death, including alcohol, heroin, cocaine diazepam, temazepam and anti-depressant medication and his inquest concluded that his death was drug-related and that he had suffered a cardiac arrest. His blood alcohol level was 184 milligrams where 80 milligrams is the drink drive limit.

It was heard that it had been difficult to determine what had happened after the people that had been at the flat where James Powner had been gave inconsistent statements, and the police described his death as a mystery and that they were treating it as an unexplained death.

The police said that they arrived at the flat at 11.49pm and that they were given 'several accounts' of what had happened, saying 'It came to light that there had been an altercation. Various degrees of assault were described'. When the police arrived they found James Powner on the first floor landing.

Four people were initially arrested after James Powner was found dead. One person had been arrested on suspicion of murder whilst the other three, two men and a woman had been arrested on suspicion of supplying Class A drugs.

James Powner had been seen earlier on in the evening by his father in a pub at which time he was said to have appeared fine. He had later gone to his grandmother's house where he was staying after having broken up with his girlfriend, and then went out after having borrowed £10 at about 10.30pm.

The paramedics were next called to the flat at about 11.45pm.

James Powner had been a welder-fabricator and had been due to fly out to Dubia the day after his death.