A WEYMOUTH man said he felt guilty and feared repercussions after leaving prison for stabbing a man to death - before his own death from a drug overdose, an inquest heard.
Bournemouth Coroner’s Court heard how Mark William Haylock died of an overdose from methadone, which he took to help to curb his long-term dependency of heroin and alcohol.
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The inquest heard how Mr Haylock was found lying on the floor of his address in Cromwell Road on October 17 last year by a friend who lived in the same building.
Sergeant David Gordon-Farleigh, of Weymouth Police, said: “I found Mr Haylock lying face down in his flat between the chimney breast and a set of drawers.
"He had an indent on the right side of his face and was lying in a puddle of blood, which had come from the wound.
"The paramedics pronounced he was dead and we concluded the indent had come from hitting his face on the corner of the chimney breast.
“The room was dirty, it smelt and was very unpleasant to be inside, and I found an empty bottle with methadone on the label.
"I spoke to the paramedics who checked their systems and said he was a heroin addict. There was no suspicious circumstances present.”
The inquest heard how Mr Haylock was released from prison in 2018 after stabbing and killing Bournemouth man Nicholas Ormerod on April 7, 2011 - following a heated row with Mr Haylock at a ground floor flat in Sea Road, Boscombe.
Mr Ormerod died at Royal Bournemouth Hospital of a stab wound to the chest. Haylock, who said he acted in self defence, was convicted of manslaughter at Winchester Crown Court.
Advanced nurse practitioner from Dorset Healthcare University NHS Foundation Trust, Laura Banks, said Mr Haylock was assessed upon his release and was referred to charities Steps 2 Wellbeing and Reach.
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She said: “During his assessment, Mr Haylock said he didn’t remember killing Mr Ormerod because he was on heroin.” She said he had felt guilty and feared repercussions from people not happy with the sentence and added: “Mr Haylock said he came from a dysfunctional family and was abused as a child, which led to the drug and alcohol abuse into adult life.”
Reach service manager Debra Dennehy said during an appointment in September 2019, Mr Haylock said he feared of repercussions from the family of the man he killed.
Pathologist Juliane Stolte said upon examination of his body Mr Haylock had a high, fatal level of methadone in his system which caused his death.
Richard Middleton, assistant coroner for Dorset, concluded that he died a drug overdose.
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