'He was a life-changer': A beloved dad turned his life around for his kids, but one decision tore it all apart

Paul Clark was a 'life-changer', his family say.

Originally from Dundee, in Scotland, he moved to Greater Manchester in 1997. It was a bid to put his past north of the border behind him.

He met his wife, Joy, in Stockport 10 years ago and they had a son, Harry, now seven. He was an 'amazing dad', completely dedicated to his four children.

The 55-year-old worked in drug and alcohol support services. He was very well known and respected within Narcotics Anonymous, a network of recovering addicts working to help others get and stay clean.

Paul knew what they were going through - because he had been through it himself and come out the other side. He would channel his own horrific experiences with drugs over many years to give hope and advice to others.

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He would attend conferences across the country to share his story, inspiring users to change their lives. Paul had turned his around for his children, and been clear of his heroin addiction for more than a decade.

Then a visit to his GP would see it all come tumbling down.

A diabetic, he had been suffering from severe nerve pain on and off over the last few years. He was initially prescribed with co-codamol then pregabalin and, tragically, zomorph, a slow-release form of morphine, which is an opioid.

His previous drug problems were well documented in his medical notes. But the decision to prescribe him an opioid would see him spiral into addiction once again.

In May this year, Paul was found dead from drug toxicity at his home in Stockport . A post-mortem examination revealed that he had had a fatal level of prescribed zomorph and pregabalin in his system.

After an inquest into his death, South Manchester coroner Alison Mutch said there was 'no evidence before the inquest that the inherent risks of reintroducing opioids to someone who had previously been addicted to them were considered or monitored' by doctors who saw him in Stockport.

Paul's family has now spoken out after the coroner warned future deaths could happen unless GPs are alerted to the dangers and action is taken over the issue.

Paul's wife Joy, 51, told the Manchester Evening News: "From what I know, the golden rule for doctors is not to give any form of opioids to an ex-user. We think he became addicted to all of them again. There was no heroin found in his system - everything in his system was prescribed to him."

Joy said Paul kept his addiction to prescribed drugs a secret. "At the time of his death, he was addicted to opioids," she said. "He did ask to reduce the co-codamol and pregabalin, and that's how he ended up on zomorph, a slow-release morphine.

"He was a very proud man - he did not even tell his friends. I think he was worried that people would think bad about him, but nobody would because this was not his fault. If that medication hadn't of been prescribed, he would not have gotten addicted again. He should not have been prescribed what he was.

"I am really angry and devastated. I love Harry to bits, but he has been left without a dad. Paul's parents have been left without a son. I do not want this to happen to any other family or anyone else. GPs should not prescribe these medications to ex-addicts. It should never happen. I feel like I died with him. I am not the same person."

Joy said Paul came to Greater Manchester from Dundee to get clean in around 1997. At the time, he was a heroin addict. Sadly, she said he fell on hard times after the move, and lived rough on the streets of Manchester before eventually kicking his habit with professional support.

They met in 2014 and married in 2019. Joy said: "When we first went out, he was clean. He had been clean for a couple of years before that. He was prescribed co-codamol and pregabalin for nerve pain, and the zomorph came later. That's when his addiction resurfaced. I did not know anything about it resurfacing.

"Paul helped so many people. He changed their lives. Up to a couple of years ago, he was working as a drug and alcohol support worker in Manchester. He was helping people. He had really turned his life around. He did voluntary work before that as well. His passion was to help other people get clean.

"He would say that he never thought he would get clean, but there he was, married with a child. He was an extremely kind-hearted person who would do anything for anyone. He also helped a lot of people at Narcotics Anonymous. People loved him there."

Paul's step-daughter Millie Witter, 17, from Stockport, also paid tribute to him, saying: "Paul was an amazing dad. Not only did he take on a role as step-dad to me and my four siblings, he gave me a beautiful little brother. He also had three other children who he adored. He got clean for them and carried on for us when he met my mum. He made my mum the happiest woman in the world, which made me the happiest child in the world growing up.

""I miss him and love him everyday - he was our everything." His son Harry, seven, also released a tribute through his family, saying: "I miss my daddy. We played WWE - he thought he was Drew McIntyre the Scottish warrior. And I love him."

Coroner Ms Mutch has issued a Prevention of Future Deaths report to the Royal College of General Practitioners and Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board. The Coroners and Justice Act 2009 gives coroners the opportunity to make reports to a person, organisation, local authority or Government department or agency where they believe action should be taken to prevent future deaths.

"It was accepted in evidence that whilst opioid painkillers can be helpful for treating some patients the risks of treating a patient with a former opioid addiction with opioids were significant and that there need to be a very well thought out rationale with careful monitoring to avoid the chances of a patient relapsing into addiction through GP-prescribed medication, and that it was essential that GPs considered this when prescribing," Ms Mutch said in her report.

She recorded a conclusion of accidental death. A copy of her report has also been sent for information purposes to the Archwood Medical Practice in Stockport.

The M.E.N. has contacted the Royal College of General Practitioners and Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board for comment.