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Friday, September 19, 2008, 09:00
Lloyd Nathan Evans was found dead at a friend's house in the early hours of September 29 last year. Hours earlier, he and a group of friends had been bingeing on party drug GHB, an inquest has heard.
They were out drinking with friends in Neath and Mr Evans had drunk large amounts of alcohol and a liquid form of GHB, which was being passed around in the Big Cam pub in a plastic Ribena bottle.
Takers of the substance are said to feel on top of the world and then 'KO' and fall asleep later.
"Unfortunately the deep sleep that he slipped into was such that he never woke up, and died," said coroner David Osbourne.
One of the group out in Neath that night was Cerys Nia Lloyd, of Plas y Coed, Glynneath.
She told police in a statement: "We all take GHB. Lloyd took the bottle and necked it. He took loads.
"I chucked the Ribena bottle on the way back, it still had GHB in it — I panicked."
Mr Evans, of Williams Avenue, Resolven, collapsed in the pub and the group were told by bouncers to get him home.
He was taken away in a car belonging to Carl Pedrick, of Neath Road, Resolven, by his brother Adam and other friends.
Mr Pedrick drove him to the home of friend Rebecca Grove, in Pen y Cae, in the village.
When Mr Evans stopped snoring, Miss Grove and her boyfriend became concerned and checked for a pulse, and none was found.
Attempts to resuscitate him failed.
A statement by Constable Joseph Jones who spoke to Mr Pedrick later that day was read out to the hearing at Neath County Court.
"He (Pedrick) began to cry and said 'it's my fault,' said Constable Jones.
"He said: 'I went to Skewen last night to get some liquid GHB for Lloyd and Adam. I took it to Neath for them and then he collapsed. I got the GHB for everyone."
Traces of cannabis, amphetamines and diazepam were also found in Lloyd's body.
A court had heard previously how Mr Evans was part of a gang called the Square Boys, and had been due in court to face charges relating to a vicious attack on Cam Gears social club chairman Carl Day, for which his brother Adam, and a man called Mark Evans were jailed in April.
Recording a verdict of death by misadventure, Dr Osborne said: "It just highlights the dangers associated with taking these drugs inappropriately.
"The effects can vary from person to person, but in this case it was clear that the amount of GHB, which Lloyd took quite willingly, was such that the drug level was consequently quite considerably higher than levels that have been known to have proved fatal in others in the past.
"This was also aggravated by the level of alcohol in his blood, which was approximately two and half times over the limit for driving."
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