Known Exeter drug user dies after collapsing in car park stairwell

An Exeter man who became addicted to alcohol and drugs from a young age died after collapsing in a city centre car park stairwell. Tristan Locke, 35, was witnessed to have injected speedball - a mixture of heroin and crack cocaine - at King William Street Car Park on February 13, at around 7.30pm and then collapsed seconds later.

An inquest at Exeter Coroner’s Court today, October 31, heard a man and a woman who had been with him carried out CPR until an ambulance arrived. Police, who were also called to the scene, were said to have recognised him as being part of the 'street attached community' in Exeter.

Tristan was said to have been homeless for a lengthy amount of time. He was taken to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital and passed away almost a week later on February 23. The cause of his death was confirmed as hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, cardiac arrest, and illicit drug use.

In a statement, his father Terry Locke told how Tristan had been 'kicked out' of mainstream and special schools due to his behaviour and then his life spiralled downwards, leading him to become homeless.

He said: "He was addicted to alcohol and drugs to a serious degree which was incompatible with home life."

He recalled how Tristan had started drinking from a young age in bus shelters to the point when he became an alcoholic and that his drug used began with cannabis which he believed affected his brain chemistry and mental health.

Referring to his addictions, he said: "He was on a path of apparent self-destruction that defies logic."

He added they clashed over his lifestyle which resulted in long gaps with no communication but said in the months before his death, Tristan had visited him at his home to see his son who lived with him and said he was 'trying to fix his demons'.

Evidence was heard from recovery workers at Together Drug and Alcohol Service, who reported Tristan had not engaged well with support and there had been numerous episodes of medical intervention being required for his addiction problems.

The inquest heard he had been sleeping rough in a tent by a river in Exeter in September 2023 which then became flooded. He was then said to have been sofa surfing and by February 2024 had been verified as a rough sleeper and was being supported by services including homeless charity St Petrocks and Exeter Navigator Team, part of Exeter City Council's Rough Sleeper Initiative.

The day before his fatal overdose he was said to have declined medical advice after being found unconscious in South Street through alcohol. Tristan's GP confirmed he had a long history of alcohol and dependence as well as anxiety and depression and that it was believed he has 'complex' mental health problems.

Recording a conclusion of drug-related death, assistant coroner Luisa Nicholson said: "There is nothing in the evidence to lead me to believe Tristan has overdosed in order to end his life."

Tristan's troubled life as an addict saw him appear in court a number of times. In October 2019, he received a suspended sentence at Exeter Crown Court with a requirement for drug rehabilitation for agreeing to pick up heroin and crack which he, and unknown to him, an undercover police officer ordered from a County Lines drug gang.

The then 31-year-old was filmed covertly supplying the drugs in the centre of Exeter on February 1, 2018, but was not arrested for another year because police were using the intelligence from the undercover operation to trace the organised crime group.

In February 2020, DevonLive reported he came back before the courts for missing probation service appointments and dropping out of the drug rehabilitation programme. He claimed he had been distracted by the birth of his son, but was jailed for a year and three months.

Tristan received a community order after being found guilty of assaulting a police officer during a hearing at Exeter Crown Court in December 2021.

In March 2022, police issued a wanted man appeal for Tristan after failing to appear at court and in relation to a report of an assault at Exmouth beach while being an illegal camper. In August 2022, appeared at court again having spent seven weeks in jail.

He was freed after the judge replaced the community order with a 12-month conditional discharge. In 2023, he pleaded guilty to drunk and disorderly behaviour in South Street on March 19, 2023, and was fined £40.