Rough sleeper discovered useless in Travelodge on day he was advised he had a brand new residence

A homeless man was found dead in a hotel room just hours before he was set to be moved into a permanent home.

Paul Dono had been approved for a house after living in a tent on Wolstanton Marsh, Stoke-on-Trent, for months. He checked into a local Travelodge but was found dead just one day later.

His support worker, Chloe Henshaw, discovered the body after she had not heard from for a while. The reception let her into the room, only to find that he had tragically passed away, reports Stoke-On-Trent-Live.

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Chloe was attempting to inform Paul he had received permanent accommodation in October last year. An inquest into his death heard Paul, 46, had been struggling with alcohol and drug addictions since the age of 12.

At his worst, Paul consumed three bottles of wine a day along with whisky. On another day he would down 16 cans of beer or spend up to £150 on heroin.

But despite the difficulties he faced, Paul was popular with many people who strived to help him. Over the years, Paul had managed to get sober but kept relapsing. Whilst sober, Paul enjoyed spending time with his family, dogs, and going to the gym.

He was known for sleeping in a tent at Wolstanton Marsh, and told StokeonTrentLive in 2021 that the community had given him a tent, food, and had even offered him respite in their own homes. Despite his “demons” and “self-destructive” nature, Paul was said to be very tidy, and his personality was “lovely” and “fabulous”.

In the lead up to his death, Paul, who grew up in Milton, had visited A&E 22 times between May 2023 to October 2023 due to his alcoholism. He also suffered with epilepsy, depression, left ventricular enlargement, acute pancreatic liver disease and other health issues, although these factors did not contribute to his death according to pathology and toxicology reports.

Assistant coroner Nicholas Walker concluded Paul’s death was alcohol related. He said: “On the evidence heard Paul Dono was on a really fast down spiral which started at the back end of 2022 and into 2023 and this story is very clear. Paul’s [two attempted suicide attempts] makes me consider if it could’ve been suicide, but the medical report suggests it was not an inclination to take his own life.

“Paul was barely one-quarter over the drink drive limit. This is a sad story of someone unable to get away from alcohol and substance misuse. When he did he said he felt great, but in the weeks before his death he had many hospital visits and they were often alcohol related.

“I am quite satisfied that Paul’s cause of death was a sudden unexpected death involving alcohol misuse. He had a long term struggle with alcohol addiction.”

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