A DEESIDE man was under the influence of cocaine when he stepped into the path of a high-speed train, an inquest was told.

Shaun Lee Mitchell, 37, and a friend had taken the drug before they went to Shotton station on April 25 this year.

The driver of the Holyhead – Crewe train, told British Transport Police that the train was travelling at about 75mph and was not due to stop at Shotton low-level station, but about 100-150 yards away from the platform he spotted Mr Mitchell staggering about.

The driver sounded a warning and applied the emergency brakes but Mr Mitchell walked out in front of the train. He suffered multiple injuries and was confirmed dead at the scene.

A post-mortem examination revealed that he had almost 15 times the drug-drive level of cocaine in his system.

The inquest in Ruthin heard that Mr Mitchell, a welder, of Plas Albion, Connah’s Quay, started taking cannabis when he was about 16 and engaged with the substance abuse service, but was a regular drug user in the weeks leading up to his death.

John Gittins, senior coroner for North Wales East and Central, recorded the cause of death as multiple injuries as a result of a collision with a train, with cocaine having been a contributory factor.

Recording a conclusion of misadventure, he said: “I am absolutely certain it was not a deliberate act.

“Had he not been under the influence of cocaine he would not have walked off that platform,” he said.