A MAN who was found dead at his home was not killed by the controversial party drug Mephedrone even though it was found in his blood, an inquest has heard.

Sam Jarrett, 32, had not been seen for days when he was discovered by a concerned friend, lying on the floor of his front room in Partridge Road, Ipswich, in May.

Although he had taken the now illegal drug, known on the street as Meow Meow or M-CAT, an inquest into his death in Ipswich recorded that it was caused by a seizure.

Mr Jarrett suffered from epilepsy but the hearing at Ip-City Centre yesterday was told that tests revealed he had not been taking his prescribed medication prior to his death.

A box of the tablets, used to try to prevent seizures, was found in his home but no presence of it was found in his blood.

The tests also revealed that Mr Jarrett had traces of cannabis in his body but as he had not been seen for several days before his body was found, it remains unclear when this had entered his system.

A statement supplied by Mr Jarret’s friend James Rolphe was read out during the inquest.

Mr Rolphe explained that he had visited Mr Jarrett’s home several times in the days leading up to the discovery of his body but there had been no answer at the front door and his phone went straight to voicemail.

In the statement, he said: “Only with hindsight (did I realise) the fact that his number was switched off was very unusual. We thought he must be having a quiet day, when he didn’t wish to be disturbed.

“On occasions he could be a bit of a recluse and would keep his phone switched off.

“On Monday May 3 I was dropped off again and went through the same deal but again, with no luck. I returned later in the evening and i used a torch and I could see him lying face-down on the lounge floor next to the sofa. I knocked on the window but there was no movement or response.

“I forced entry and smelled a pungent smell, becoming very worried and found Sam had passed away.”

Suffolk Coroner Dr Peter Dean recorded that Mr Jarrett had died as a result of a seizure and expressed his condolences to his family, who were not represented at the hearing.

He said: “Almost as a chance finding, we have the Mephedrone present. What we don’t know is whether it was a chance finding or had any relation to the fits - we do know he suffered from fits (and) we know he hadn’t taken his medication.”