A PRISONER died in jail due to the effects of drugs he was taking to combat heroin addiction and alcohol abuse, an inquest has heard.

Kevin Raynor, 39, died at Durham Prison on September 8, 2011, where he was being held as he awaited a court trial date.

Mr Raynor used chlordiazepoxide to help him combat alcohol abuse and he took methadone to help him to tackle a heroin habit.

Coroner Andrew Tweddle today (Monday, March 25) said Mr Raynor died because of the effects created by combining the drugs.

An inquest in Crook, County Durham, heard that Mr Raynor was in Delta wing at the prison and that he was one of about 150 prisoners using methadone.

The inquest also heard that before he was jailed he drank one-and-a-half litres of vodka a day.

Prisoners attended a medical room in the jail where they received the drugs that they need.

Mr Raynor was taking medicine for depression, alcohol and heroin abuse and tablets for nerve pain.

Dr Regan Wooding, a doctor at the jail, said she felt Mr Raynor had missed some tablets and so was showing signs of opiate withdrawal.

She therefore increased the level of dosage of Mr Raynor’s tablets to tackle this.

She said: “We gave him four drugs that if combined could cause an overdose.

“Unless there was a potential risk of suicide or he had a history of self harm I would not have told the prison officers specifically about it or asked them to keep a closer eye on him.”

The inquest heard that during the night prison officers checked on each inmate three times and noted any problems in a book for the other guards to see.

The inquest continues tomorrow. (Tuesday, March 26).