Darren John Deakins

Darren Deakins was found dead in Wents Meadow.

He had died from a subdural haemorrhage and brain swelling due to blunt force head injury.

A man was arrested on suspicion of his murder shortly after he was found but the charges against him were later dropped.

He had gone with about twelve people to an area known as the barn in Wents Meadow to drink and socialise.

It was heard that at some point Darren Deakins was lightly pushed but 9 hours later he was found unconscious in the field and it was not clear what had happened between those periods. He was taken to Hereford Hospital after being found but died the same day.

It was also suggested that the man that had pushed him could have been acting in self-defence or defending another person.

The man who was arrested on suspicion of Darren Deakins's murder said that he couldn't remember details about the night, including how he was said to have pushed Darren Deakins.

However, it was heard that Darren Deakins had had high levels of the anti-depressant drug, fluoxetine, in his system, which could have contributed to his death and the Coroner recorded a narrative conclusion that Darren Deakins died from complications of a head injury which he sustained between 18 and 19 August 2013, against a background of excessive ingestion of fluoxetine and alcohol.

The Coroner noted that the level of fluoxetine in Darren Deakins's system was within the fatal range and added that it might have contributed to him being unsteady on his feet and falling.

The inquest also heard that Darren Deakins was a paranoid schizophrenic, an alcoholic and had in the past, taken drugs, including heroin and cannabis.