A POLISH immigrant who was found dead in Northwich Market Street toilets was killed by his long-standing drug addiction, a coroner has concluded.

Stanislaw Pokora, who lived at West Avenue, died at the age of 51 on May 8, when he suffered a heroin overdose in a toilet cubicle in Northwich.

Crewe Coroner’s Court heard on Monday that Stanislaw had been sacked from his job in Morrisons for taking a pot of yoghurt and was due to show up for a job interview when he was found by a council worker.

His partner of 26 years, Ewa Jablonska, a care assistant, gave a statement to the coroner, explaining how the couple had battled together to try and overcome his drug addiction, but said that in the end, it was ‘stronger than he was.’

Miss Jablonska, who has now returned to Poland, said: “I met Stanislaw in 1990 and we started our relationship soon after. In 2006 we made the decision to come to England to be with my daughter and at first lived in Southampton.

“He always had a problem with drugs since I knew him but after coming over to England he wasn’t taking drugs anymore. He relapsed once but then he started getting treatment to get off the drugs.

“He wasn’t taking anything until we arrived in Northwich. I noticed a change in his behaviour and asked him about it and he said he was smoking crack from time to time. I think he made new contacts in Northwich.

“He worked for Morrisons and one day he took a pot of yoghurt from the store and lost his job, which upset him very much because he took his job very seriously.

“He then got a job interview somewhere in Cuddington and the night before his interview he didn’t come home.

“Throughout our relationship I tried to help him with his addiction but it was stronger than he was.”

Council Streetscene operative, Matthew McNeilly, found Stanislaw the next day during his working Monday.

Matthew said: “I went to use the toilet in Market Street at about 11ish and I noticed a coat sleeve hanging out from under one of the cubicles. I went back after dinner at about 1.30pm and the same sleeve was on the floor. That’s when I thought something was wrong.

“I shouted to him and heard nothing, so I looked under and saw someone crouched over. I didn’t know what to do, I didn’t know who to call, so I walked down to the police station down the road.”

PC Alan Broadhurst, who was the first officer on the scene, also spoke at the inquest on Monday, telling the coroner that police had ruled out any suspicious circumstances.

Coroner, Dr Janet Napier, concluded that Stanislaw’s death was an accident and that he had not attempted suicide.

Dr Napier said: “As his partner said, she had tried to get him off the drugs, and he had successfully got off them, but unfortunately the addiction was stronger than he was and he went back to using them.

“I’m going to give the conclusion that Stanislaw died due to an accident, with the cause of death being heroin overdose.

“There is no evidence that he wanted to harm himself.”