Steve Percival died in July

A BIG Issue seller found dead with a cigarette believed to be packed with a “legal high” in his hand died from acute heart failure, an inquest has ruled.

Homeless Steve Percival, 53, was found “lying awkwardly” in Greenland Place, Camden Town – not far from the underground station – by police in July. He could not be revived.

His death led to fresh calls to tackle homelessness in Camden, but also warnings that the public had become “acclimatised” to the problem of rough sleeping.

Mr Percival – known in the street community as “Geordie Steve” – was the second homeless man to die within 100 metres of Camden High Street in less than 12 months. The New Journal has twice reported on cases in Camden Town this year where collapsed homeless men have been brought back to life with help from off-duty doctors passing by.

At St Pancras Coroner’s Court on Monday, an inquest into Mr Percival’s death was concluded inside 15 minutes, with no friends or family present. Evidence was provided in the form of written statements.

Assistant coroner William Dolman told the hearing: “What a tragic end to a life. He had been homeless, slipping down the social ladder, to the lowest ebb.

“And as so often, we hear the stories of someone who attempts from time to time to pull himself up with help from professionals. But he was on a roundabout of improvement and relapse into alcohol misuse.”

Dr Dolman said that Mr Percival, despite being a “chronic alcohol abuser”, did not collapse from drinking too much alcohol, as the levels in his blood were not unusually high.

Instead, he recorded a verdict of death from natural causes

The coroner added: “Spice [synthetic cannabis] was not detected. However, over 100 synthetic cannabinoids [designer drugs] have been identified. Potentially, there are many more. Blood was screened for three cannabinoids.”

He read out the evidence of Catherine Bryant, Mr Percival’s alcohol team worker in Haringey, where he had once been based. She had become concerned about him as he had attended alcohol help meetings while “incoherent and not making sense”. She said “his state was more in line with poly-drug use”.

Evidence from PC Stephen Birt, also read out to the inquest, said that Mr Percival “was found with what was suspected as spice and a lighter”. PC Birt added: “There was photographic ID, and he was wearing a Big Issue seller’s jacket. He had a very pale face, and looked around 60 years old. There were no signs of assault.”

Recovery services had not been able to get Mr Percival to reduce his alcohol intake but he had responded well to some group therapy sessions, “often sharing his own personal trauma surrounding the death of his parents”, the inquest heard.

It was told that Mr Percival “held suicidal thoughts” and had once climbed to the top of a tower block with the intention of jumping off.

Mr Percival had been a regular at twice-weekly Streets Kitchen events in Britannia Junction, where food and other essentials are provided for rough sleepers on Wednesday and Sunday evenings.

Jon Glackin, who runs the volunteer group, said at the time of the death: “He was a loveable guy. You never really hear a bad word about the dead, but nobody has said anything bad about him. He was just Geordie Steve with the teddy bear. That’s how everybody knew him.

“He was just a gentleman. That’s how I’d describe him, gentlemanly.”