An ex-soldier has been found dead in his flat in Wigan, the gentleman had been struggling to cope with life after losing his comrades in a helicopter crash, an inquest has been told.
The body of 46-year-old Matthew Pottage was discovered at his home in Woodcock House, Scholes, on September 11, Mr Pottage had suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder after witnessing his friends tragically die when an army chopper came down during his time in the army.
Bolton Coroner’s Court was told that Mr Pottage died of naturally occurring disease “exacerbated by cocaine” use before his death. The hearing learnt that the dad-of-two had first joined the army at just 16 years of age, but would suffer flashbacks after the traumatic incident.
After leaving the military, Mr Pottage trained as a laminator and fitter, before working in sales and as a carpet fitter.
However, the inquest heard that he struggled to cope with the loss of his friends and experiences during the army and in his later days took towards drinking.
Dr Naveen Sharma, the pathologist who carried out the post-mortem examination, said the cause of his death was acute myocardial insufficiency. He said this was due to heart disease, cocaine use and liver disease.
Mr Walsh said Mr Pottage died as a consequence of naturally occurring disease exacerbated by the use of cocaine, however, he also stated there was nothing that would indicate Mr Pottage had a history of taking drugs.
Mr Pottages ex-wife who he married in 1994 but split up with 10 years later said she had sadly seen his life decline in recent years.
She said: “Matt had said he had taken overdoses on two occasions.
“I was told about a diary entry in January of last year which indicated he may well have intended at the time to end his life but I don’t know if he meant it.
“During that time he would speak more frequently with my daughters. He would constantly tell them about his mental health issues and how he was suffering from PTSD, and how he wanted them to read up on it and understand it and appreciated it.
“When I discovered that Matt had died, I attended his flat and there were empty alcohol containers around and in the fridge and cupboards. The fridge was full of cider.”
A statement read out during the hearing Mr Pottage’s GP Dr Lisa Adams also said that he had a history of PTSD, anxiety and depression.
The government has long said it will be doing more told help ex-servicemen and woman who suffer from PTSD and other conditions of that nature, however many still question when we will see more action taken to stop the truly tragic loss of life in cases such as this.
Rest in peace to Mr Pottage, we humbly thank you for your service to this nation. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Mr Pottage.
Editor-in-Chief | Carl D. Pearson has been involved in British politics and media from an early age, with the key knowledge of what it takes to run a news organisation for the 21st century. Mr Pearson, as Editor-in-chief, is responsible for supervising the daily tasks of publishing media and content to UNN’s website and various platforms.
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