A MUCH-LOVED Halesowen dad died of an accidental overdose in a hotel room - an inquest heard.

Oliver Lowe, of Bloomfield Street West, was found dead at the Travelodge in Whitehall Road, Halesowen, on January 25.

His family described the 32-year-old as a "lovely lad who would help anyone" and was highly thought of at work.

They said he was looking forward to the future and had a holiday booked and planned to marry his fiancee.

An inquest held at the Black Country Coroner's Court in Oldbury yesterday (Tuesday June 2) heard Oliver, who was known as Ollie, was found unresponsive lying on a bed in his hotel room with laptop and packets of medication.

The court was told Ollie's mum went to see him at the hotel on January 25 - but couldn't get response and found the door locked was from inside.

Staff then found him unresponsive on his bed. Police and paramedics attended and confirmed he had passed away at the scene.

Joanne Lees, area coroner for the Black Country told the inquest a post mortem found the cause of death was an overdose of an opioid painkiller. She said Ollie could have died up to 24 hours before he was found.

The inquest heard Ollie had suffered from mental health issues and was admitted to Bushey Fields hospital in December 2019.

He was diagnosed with alcohol dependency, anxiety and depression. On January 6, 2020 he was discharged with medication and an upcoming appointment with Atlantic Health. He said he did not have any thoughts of suicide or self harm.

The inquest heard that he also self-medicated with an opioid painkiller, which was not prescribed, to cope with anxiety.

His dad Bill Lowe said Ollie was not addicted to the painkiller or alcohol, but used them to block out his anxiety.

Mr Lowe said Ollie was looking forward to the future and had booked a holiday and was planning his wedding and possibly having another child.

Ollie's fiancee told the inquest that he had left the home they shared and said he was going to his mum's for the night as they agreed he "wasn't right" and was "going into an episode" but he then checked himself into the Travel Lodge.

Ollie's dad Bill said: "He was a really lovely lad he would help anybody and was a hard worker - he had worked for 14 years for the same firm in Birmingham.

"He was very skilled - he was on full pay till the day he died. The boss wanted him back.

"He was hoping to go back to work in the next couple of weeks and had booked a holiday - he had no intention of killing himself."

Mrs Lees recorded a verdict of misadventure and said Ollie took the medication himself, but didn't intend the consequences of his actions.

She said: "This is a tragic case.

"Ollie was a young man aged just 32 - he was a much-loved son, partner and father and had many things to look forward to in his life."