A well known beggar in Hull died while sharing drugs with a friend.
The two men, Michael Foster and Garry Halliday, decided to share some heroin and took it at Mr Foster's flat in west Hull.
But Mr Halliday, 49, collapsed about 40 seconds after injecting himself, and died on Mr Foster's kitchen floor.
Mr Halliday was well known around west Hull and the Avenues area. An inquest into Mr Halliday's death, held yesterday, found he may have had a lower tolerance to the heroin after a spell in prison.
This would explain why Mr Foster suffered no ill effects from the heroin, which had been equally shared between the two men.
Coroner Professor Paul Marks said: "Mr Halliday had abused drugs and alcohol since his late teenage years, had mental health issues and had previously been detained under the mental health act.
"On the last evening of his life, he was begging on the street when he saw his friend and they decided to share some heroin, which they then obtained from a nearby residence.
"He collapsed soon after and Mr Foster and his girlfriend Claire May called an ambulance.
"Two equal volumes of heroin were prepared, but Mr Halliday had not been taking it regularly since being released from prison.
"This could explain why he passed away and his associate, who was more tolerant of narcotics, survived."
Mr Halliday, who died on May 30, was a prolific beggar in the west Hull area and was given an Asbo to stop him.
A post-mortem examination found he had high levels of alcohol and morphine, a sign of heroin use, in his system.
But although Mr Halliday was a known beggar and was often homeless, his family said he was an intelligent man who cared a great deal.
In a court statement, his sister Deborah Latham said: "I feel (his previous history) has painted a very dark picture of Garry.
"But when he was not intoxicated he was kind and gentle and was very religious. At his funeral, various pastors came who knew him.
"Despite the choices he made and the lifestyle he led, I have come to realise he was a very rich man.
"He was rich with people in his life that cared for him.
"My brother was one in a million with a heart of gold, who always had a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye. This is how I will always remember him."
