(Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)
A man found his dad dead at home after he took a cocktail of drugs just two days after being released from prison.
Jordan Donnell, 40, died on June 7 last year after being released from HMP Holme House on June 5, according to a new report by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO).
The report detailed that around 5.45pm Jordan's son found him unresponsive at his home, and called an ambulance and started CPR.
Paramedics arrived at 6.04pm and treated him but Jordan was pronounced dead at 6.34pm.
A postmortem found that Jordan died from the effects of a combination on zopiclone, pregabalin, temazepam and mirtazapine.
An inquest held on February 9 concluded that his death was drug-related.
Only mirtazapine had been prescribed to him, the PPO report said.
The report states: "Mr Donnell's son gave the paramedics half-empty packets of pregabalin tablets (medication not prescribed to Mr Donnell).
"He said that he had seen his father earlier that day and he was snoring. He said that he assumed Mr Donnell had taken two pregabalin tablets as this was normal behaviour for him. No other drug paraphernalia was found at the property."
The PPO report said Jordan had a long history of alcohol and substance use.
During his initial reception screen at Holme House, he said he had used diazepam and temazepam in the community, obtained illicitly.
He engaged with the non-clinical Drug and Alcohol Recovery Team and completed four structured interventions between February and May, the PPO said.
Ahead of his release, he was warned about the risk of overdose due to lower tolerance after being in prison.
He said he had no intention of using illicit substances on release.
Jordan was released with seven days of his prescribed medication.
He was given details of an appointment with County Durham Drug and Alcohol Recovery Services at 10am on June 9. He told staff he would attend the appointment but died before it took place.
The PPO said there was no significant learning relating to his pre-release planning or post-release supervision.
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It concluded: "We consider that Mr Donnell received appropriate support with his substance use and was aware of the dangers."
He had been sentenced to 58 weeks in prison after being charged with harassment and breach of a restraining order.
He was released on licence from Durham on November 14, 2024, before being recalled on January 15, 2025 for breaching his licence conditions.