Man's dead body found inside Ilford flat after police break-in
Gary Wade, 56, was discovered on May 15 in Aldersbrook Lane.
He had been killed by a commonly-prescribed antidepressant medication, said senior coroner Graeme Irvine.
Mr Irvine opened an inquest into Mr Wade’s death at East London Coroner’s Court, Walthamstow, on Monday, July 7.
He said the case had been referred to him by the Metropolitan Police Service.
“They had attended at Mr Wade’s address due to concerns made about Mr Wade’s welfare,” he said.
“The premises were broken into by the police, having developed a concern for the safety of Mr Wade.”
Mr Irvine said: “He had been dead for some time (before he was found). Decomposition had taken place.”
Police were nonetheless able to identify him based on photographic comparisons.
The coroner ordered a post-mortem, which gave Mr Wade’s cause of death as an overdose.
“Given those circumstances, I will open an inquest,” said Mr Irvine.
Coroners are required by law to hold a public inquest, in the public interest, to investigate all unnatural or unexplained deaths and whether future similar deaths might be avoidable.
He declared Mr Wade’s next of kin an “interested person” – a legal status entitling them to legal representation, to view evidence ahead of the final inquest and to question any witnesses called to testify.
The coroner requested Mr Wade’s family provide a background statement and asked his staff to obtain Mr Wade’s medical records, plus records from the police.
He also asked them to investigate whether Mr Wade was receiving treatment from a mental health trust.
If he was, the coroner said he would need a statement from the responsible doctor and records of any internal investigation which had been launched in light of Mr Wade’s death.
The final inquest was provisionally scheduled for January.
