‘OUR BRILLIANT STEPDAD WOULD DO ANYTHING FOR US
Family pays tribute after Elton’s death at age of 48
THE family of a grandad-of-five found dead on his sofa have paid tribute to a ‘brilliant man who would do anything for anyone’.
Elton Johnson was found unresponsive on the morning of March 5 at his home in Wood Lane, near Newcastle.
Paramedics were called but he was pronounced dead
Speaking after the hearing, his wife Jane Johnson, aged 58, who was married to Elton for 26 years, said: “He was a loving stepdad and grandfather and is missed terribly by everyone. Over the years alcohol was a problem for him but he was a hard working man and had various jobs.
“His last job was for N-power and he went all over Stoke-on-trent reading meters. He would do anything for you. He was a taxi and would pick the kids up from school. He was a big family man and is missed by all the family.”
Stepdaughter Rebecca Burrows, aged 35, of Crewe, added: “We all thought the world of him. He was a brilliant stepdad. He would do anything for us. He is missed by all the family.”
An inquest into his death at Stoke Civic Centre heard the 48-year-old drank two bottles of gin the night before he was found on the sofa.
A toxicology report found Mr Johnson had 414 micrograms of alcohol per decilitre of blood – more than five times the legal limit for driving. The hearing heard readings above 400 are often fatal.
He also had a very high level of venlafaxine – an antidepressant used to treat depression – in his blood.
Pathologist Dr Andrew Hitchcock gave the cause of death as combined ethanol and venlafaxine toxicity.
Mrs Johnson told the inquest on the day before her husband was found dead a cheque cleared in his bank account. He bought a bottle of gin and drank it in an hour.
She said: “He decided to buy another bottle. This was not uncommon. He was in crisis.”
Mrs Johnson said her husband had gone into ‘crisis’ on February 27 and was admitted to the Edward Myers Unit but was released after a few hours. She and the rest of the family have found it difficult to understand why he was not sectioned.
Coroner Andrew Barkley said: “Mr Johnson had a long standing history of difficulty with alcohol.
“The testing of his blood found a very high level of alcohol – toxic levels. There was also an overdose level of venlafaxine which he was prescribed. It does not appear to be a deliberate overdose. There is nothing else to suggest this was a deliberate attempt to take his own life.
“The venlafaxine is likely to have added to the difficulties and caused respiratory depression where he drifts off to sleep and does not wake up.
“The underlying cause is the abuse of alcohol. In conclusion, it was an alcohol-related death.”