A landscape gardener died after he took an overdose of pain-killers to try to ease a pain in his neck, an inquest heard.

The body of Jason King, 36, was found by his flatmate and friend face down on his bed in his home in Richmond Road, Beddington, on July 18 last year.

An inquest into his death held at Croydon Coroner’s Court on Tuesday heard Mr King had been prescribed the painkiller Tramadol for a long-standing neck pain, which had previously prevented him from working.

A pathologist report after his death found he had more than five times the healthy level of the drug in his blood, and very close to the amount considered a fatal dose.

Coroner Roy Palmer said: “I suspect he was in more pain than usual and tried to deal with the pain and took more Tramadol than he was used to taking.”

It is believed Mr King died the evening before he was found.

The court heard his flatmate had popped into his room to check he was OK on July 17.

He was in the same position she found him the next day, but she left him alone thinking he was asleep.

She became concerned the following morning when he had not got up for work.

Mr King had suffered from depression, but the court heard there had been nothing to suggest he would think of ending his own life.

The 36-year-old had epilepsy, and Dr Palmer could not rule out the condition in some way contributed to his death.

Dr Palmer said a pathologist gave Mr King’s cause of death as a Tramadol overdose. He recorded a verdict of misadventure.

Speaking after the inquest, Mr King’s sister, Michelle Nolan, said: “His family and friends miss him loads, especially his cheeky smile.

“RIP Jay, always in our hearts and will never be forgotten.”