Buried in a pauper's grave - family of Anthony Myers to sue health authorities - CNJ EXCLUSIVE

Published: 16 June 2011
CNJ EXCLUSIVE by JOSIE HINTON

THE family of a man killed by a lethal course of methadone and buried in a “pauper’s grave” without his relatives’ knowledge are to take legal action against health authorities.

Anthony Myers, a 29-year-old father-of-one, died while he was receiving treatment at St Pancras Hospital six years ago.

His family struggled to discover what had happened to him due to his body being buried in a municipal grave – plots used for people who die without any next of kin or money to pay funeral costs. 

Due to administrative errors, none of Mr Myers’ relatives was contacted even though his brother lived in nearby Camden Town. His body – and those of two others above him in the grave – later had to be exhumed. Another man in the grave also had relatives who had not been contacted before he was buried.

An inquest heard on Tuesday how Mr Myers, of Rochester Square, died after ­reacting to a prescription of methadone, the heroin substitute. But his drug history was unclear and tests later revealed he had not been using heroin.

Full stories:
Verdict that ended years of distress
Anguish of seven-year-old who could not visit her father's grave