A WAREHOUSE operative who struggled to cope died from pneumonia after inhaling a tooth, an inquest has heard.

Andrew David Lonie, from Winklebury, was found dead at his flat on October 14, 2020, after his employer, Banner Business Suppliers, reported him missing.

At an inquest into his death today (Tuesday, April 13), Portsmouth Coroner's Court heard how Andrew was a private man who kept his problems hidden from friends and family but was suffering from one of the worst cases of self-neglect a police officer had seen.

His brother, Alan Lonie, told the court that Andrew battled with alcohol dependency. He was the youngest of four siblings and had grown up "at a slight disadvantage” as his siblings all moved out when he was still young.

He said Andrew had grown up around pubs and social clubs and had suffered from alcohol dependency for many years.

Authorities raised concerns about Andrew's welfare after he crashed into a car at Winklebury Centre on October 3, five days before he is thought to have died.

In a statement read at Portsmouth Coroner's Court, PC Jenny Lawrence described the 47-year-old as “skinny and haggard”, and said he was struggling to walk and was wearing dirty clothing.

Accompanying Andrew to his flat, the officers struggled to get into the property due to mounds of rubbish blocking the way.

Referencing reports from Andrew's doctor, senior coroner Christopher Wilkinson said: "It was one of the worst cases that the police officer had seen of self-neglect. They had very real concerns about Mr Lonie's ability to cope."

Police contacted his doctor as well as social services.

His brother told the court Andrew had been affected by lockdown and was drinking more than usual because he had been furloughed.

His brother Alan said: "He drank too much and lockdown was a contributing factor because he was furloughed from work and would have had too much time on his hands, and that would have led to increased levels of drinking."

Andrew had returned to work in September but was placed back on furlough after colleagues noticed "he wasn't himself" and were concerned about his alcohol consumption.

The following month, Mr Lonie was told he was one of six workers at risk of being made redundant. His boss Neil O'Brien said he struggled to contact him during the consultation period but said he seemed "chirpy" when they last spoke, on October 8.

Mr O'Brien, who described Mr Lonie as an "incredibly nice person" who he enjoyed working with, reported his employee missing on October 14 after being unable to get hold of him.

Police forced entry to his flat at around 5.30pm on October 14 where he was found in the living room, surrounded by "an excessive amount of alcohol bottles and cans". The circumstances were not suspicious.

A post-mortem examination found that at some stage before his death, Mr Lonie had inhaled a tooth, which blocked his airways, leading to pneumonia.

The coroner said: “He was seeking solitude. He was not coping and it is my view that on October 3 he had already inhaled that tooth and was already suffering from pneumonia. I think it is more likely than not that his death occurred on, or shortly after, October 8.”

He added: “Sadly, we will never know how he got to that point, because he deliberately masked from everybody his difficulty to cope.”

The coroner recorded a verdict of natural causes, “contributed to by chronic levels of self-neglect”.

  • If you are struggling to cope, contact Hampshire County Council's adult services on 0300 5551386.