Sam Curry: Family 'will never truly know' how overdose happened

Sam Curry’s family feel that more could have been done to assess the scene where he was found unresponsive after consuming drugs in South Benfleet.

Essex Coroner’s Court heard how paramedics had gone to the property and been met by two teenagers, before going upstairs and attending to Sam, who was a pupil of Appleton School in Benfleet.

Senior Paramedic, Andrew Avery, told the inquest he had found a wrap of white powder in the room with Sam, and the teenagers present at the house had only been able to give him vague details on what happened.

Det Insp Yoni Adler told the inquest that statements were taken from Sam’s friends and other people, but a clear picture could not be painted.

He said: “When trying to integrate all those accounts into a timeline, it wasn’t possible to do it because all the accounts were quite contradictory in nature.

“I am talking with 15-year-old children who were drunk or on drugs or self-preserving.

“No one could contribute a satisfactory account of how that evening had gone.”

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Mr Avery was asked by Sam’s family why he had not thought there was enough concern for him to contact the police at the time. The scene was not secured by police until 9pm that evening.

Sam’s mum, Gemma Bedford, said: “The outcome of the police investigation could have been very different had the medics called the police and the police cordoned off the property.

“Ultimately he died, and the outcome is death, but if the call handlers had phoned the police, the investigation process could have had a completely different outcome and that possibly was taken away because the police weren’t called.”

Mr Avery said: “I fully understand that could have destroyed certain evidence. But that’s not my first thought, trying to protect a scene for the police.

“I was thinking particularly about saving this person’s life.”