A man who died suddenly on a Hamilton street had a lethal quantity of drugs circulating in his system, an inquest heard yesterday.

Lewis Burcher was out celebrating his 25th birthday with girlfriend Keisha Joell on October 6 2003, when he collapsed while returning to his bike on Front Street, having snorted heroin in the toilets of The Beach bar shortly before.

When an ambulance arrived on the scene ten minutes later, Mr. Burcher, who had also been drinking heavily, was lying unresponsive in the flower beds opposite the British-American Insurance building.

He died in hospital three days later after suffering a heart attack.

Reading from his Police statement, friend Troy Furbert testified he saw Mr. Burcher snorting heroin from a small, match-box type container at around 2 a.m.

Ms Joell, who was the only one present with Mr. Burcher when he collapsed, told the inquest he had bumped into a friend in The Beach known only as ?Mel?, who later supplied the drug.

When Mr. Burcher returned from the bathroom, she said, he became increasingly abusive towards her and was struggling to stand.

Her attempt to give Mr. Burcher a lift home on the back of her bike was abandoned when it became clear he was not able to sit up straight.

It was while parking the bike, Ms. Joell continued, that he tripped and fell into the flower bed, where he remained coiled in the foetal position, continually sniffing and wiping his nose with his hand.

After 20 minutes considering the evidence, Coroner Edward King delivered a verdict of death by misadventure, explaining that he could see no intent to cause harm, both on the part of the man who supplied the drugs or Mr. Burcher himself.

Shirley Burcher, Lewis? mother, who spent most of the inquest visibly distressed and fighting back tears, thanked the coroner at the inquest?s conclusion for helping her to ?bring closure? to her ordeal.