Joshua Miles, from Thatcham, died on March 15, 2021 after taking a combination of drugs which caused poisoning.

The 29-year-old had struggled with drugs for a decade before he died despite trying to get over his addiction on numerous occasions.

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Speaking at an inquest into his death, his mother Madeline said: “Joshua was a risk taker.

“My son was such a big, beautiful and fun character.

“He was so loving and so giving.

“I’m proud he tried to get better and I’m devastated he has been defeated.”

Joshua’s drug problems began in his teenage years when he started smoking cannabis following a family incident.

He found a job in a kitchen and worked his way up the ranks as a chef, working in some “fantastic” kitchens in the UK and abroad, his mother told the inquest.

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However, he continued to use drugs. “He worked hard and he played hard”, Ms Miles added.

Joshua’s mental health declined following another family trauma, however.

He went through a “difficult time” and became “homeless and helpless” until a friend offered him a job working at a vegan restaurant in Bristol.

Moves to Chepstow in Wales and Newbury followed and attempts at “getting clean” ensued, but the Coroner’s Court heard how Joshua would spend any money he received on drugs in a “fortnightly cycle” which went on “for years.”

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Joshua’s local authority put him up in hotels during the pandemic in what was a “hard time” for the 29-year-old.

In the weeks before his death, Joshua’s mother described him as “frantic”.

She wanted to “catch up with him when he came down” and she called him on the evening of Sunday, March 14 -- Mother’s Day -- but he did not answer.

He was found on Monday, March 15 by an electrician who alerted police and he was declared dead at the scene.

Police found drug paraphernalia at his address in Thatcham following an examination of his home.

The inquest also heard from the manager of a soup kitchen in Newbury who had known Joshua since 2018.

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In a statement read to the court, she revealed Joshua had been set to go into rehab “by the sea” days before his death, which was “what he wanted.”

She added: “I tried so hard to help Joshua but I always knew it would end like this -- he was so gripped by his addiction.”

A post-mortem revealed Joshua suffered from an acute respiratory system failure following toxicity caused by taking a combination of drugs.

“Taken together, these drugs act in a mischievous way”, Coroner Ian Wade said, adding that the combination of the narcotics caused Joshua’s body to “shut down.”

Summing up the evidence, Mr Wade said it was possible Joshua had died before March 15 when he was found

But he praised Joshua for his efforts in trying to get clean from drugs.

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He said: “It’s very hard to kick this kind of habit and it’s to Joshua’s credit he tried to do so.

“He became dependent on drugs to the point where he simply could not help himself.

“It was a voluntary indulgence which had become an involuntary indulgence.”

The inquest took place at Reading town hall on Friday, August 20.