Ex-MoneySuperMarket director Sean Thweny's drug misuse death

Image source, Family photo

Image caption, The coroner heard that Sean Thweny had told people he had been threatened

A former director of the price comparison website MoneySuperMarket died at his home in Spain after taking cocaine and ketamine, an inquest has heard.

Wrexham-born Sean Thweny, 51, was found dead in his Marbella apartment on 25 February 2019 by his former wife.

The inquest heard that Mr Thweny had a history of drug and alcohol misuse.

The coroner concluded that he lived "a complicated existence" and his death was "drug-related".

At the hearing in Ruthin Coroner's Court, John Gittins, the senior coroner for north Wales east and central, said he had been given a summary of the investigations carried out into the death by the authorities in Spain.

Preliminary toxicology tests found the presence of cocaine and benzodiazepines in his urine.

A later review of the evidence by the Home Office pathologist Dr Brian Rogers concluded the cause of death was cardiorespiratory arrest due to cocaine abuse.

Image caption, Sean Thweny was found dead in this home in Marbella after taking drugs

The inquest heard that Mr Thweny had a history of drug and alcohol misuse.

Mr Gittins heard that he had told people he had been threatened and that "the sharks were closing in on him", but he had to base his conclusion on the evidence rather than speculation.

Sandra Santos, who described herself in police interviews as his cleaner, said she had been at his apartment on the day before his body was found, and he had asked her to take out money with his bank card as he was intoxicated.

She said she withdrew 800 euro and he gave half of that to her. She told police that he did not listen to her advice to change his life.

He said he was always drunk but if she had thought he was in a bad way that day she would have told someone.

Drug paraphernalia was found at Mr Thweny's apartment, including rolled-up banknotes often used to ingest narcotics.

Plastic containers with traces of cocaine and ketamine were found along with caffeine and lidocaine, which are commonly used to adulterate illegal substances.

Mr Thweny's former wife Nadia Cortez Paz Thweny had been separated from him since June 2018 but they kept in regular contact by phone.

She found his body kneeling on the floor of his apartment on 25 February 2019 and called the emergency services.