WILTSHIRE'S deputy coroner William Bache described the inquest into the death of heroin addict Gary Willcox from a drugs overdose as a troublesome case riddled with curiosities.

Twenty-year-old Willcox, a former pupil of Corsham School, was found dead on a sofa at a friend's house in Chippenham on September 8 2002, two days after he was released from Reading Prison.

The coroner recorded an open verdict at the inquest held in Chippenham Magistrates Court on Thursday, and said there were inconsistencies in the evidence surrounding Mr Willcox's death and the timing of his movements before he died.

On the morning of September 7, Mr Willcox arrived at the home of Stephen Pitts in Portway, Chippenham, and the friends drank some whiskey.

Mr Willcox left at midday, but returned later that afternoon. Mr Pitts said in evidence that when his friend later returned 'he seemed to be under the influence of something. His speech was slurred and his gait unsteady'.

Mr Bache said that according to Mr Pitts' evidence Mr Willcox then fell asleep on a sofa and was heard snoring, but woke up a couple of times to talk, before going back to sleep. Next morning Mr Pitts found Mr Willcox dead on the sofa.

But the coroner said Mr Willcox's behaviour appeared to be inconsistent with the evidence provided by toxicology expert Peter Streete who produced a report into Mr Willcox's death.

He told the court there are two ways to die from a heroin overdose.

Firstly relatively quickly, within a few hours of consumption, or slowly when the victim lapses into a coma over a period of hours from which they do not wake.

Mr Bache said: "This appears to me to be inconsistent with what Gary Willcox did that afternoon and creates a curiosity I find difficult to resolve."

The coroner said no one knows where Mr Willcox went or what he did in between leaving Mr Pitts' home at midday and returning later that afternoon, but it was clear he was in a very different state than when he left.

"It's a question, which is not resolved. If Gary Willcox had obtained heroin when did he obtain it? Where did he get the money, who did he obtain it from and in what quantities?" the coroner asked.

Mr Bache said the most common method of consuming heroin is by injection, but the police found no evidence of drug abuse at Mr Pitts' house and no syringes or any other drug taking paraphernalia was found.

Mr Bache said this could only lead to two conclusions; the drugs were not taken at the house or someone cleared away the drug-taking apparatus.

After his release from prison on September 6, Mr Willcox went to Mr Pitts' home, but Mr Pitts' girlfriend was unhappy with Mr Willcox staying overnight so he left at 1am on September 7.

Mr Bache said it was unclear where Willcox was between then and 7.45am when his mother Janet saw him at her house in Melksham.

Mrs Willcox left her home to visit her mother at 10.50am and she said it was the last time she saw her son alive.

Mr Bache said that according to evidence submitted by Mr Pitts, Mr Willcox arrived at his home roughly around 11am on September 7. But the coroner said this was something of a puzzle.

"Even by car the distance from Melksham to Chippenham takes in the region of 25 minutes. I have to note that it's a curiosity," said the coroner.

In his verdict Mr Bache said the most likely scenario was that Mr Willcox obtained and consumed heroin and his death was a tragic accident. "But there are too many question marks left by the evidence for me to find a verdict of accidental death," he said.