A&E nurse who served with the RAF fell to his death from flat window while suffering ‘psychotic episode’ after eating cannabis-laced chocolate on night out celebrating his birthday, inquest hears
- Julian Garvey Vines Lewis took edible cannabis while celebrating 33rd birthday
- Mr Lewis then began acting strangely walking home with girlfriend of 10 years
- RAF vet, who served in Afghanistan, suffered a ‘psychotic or delusional’ episode
- Inquest heard that he fell from a window after seeing things that were not there
An RAF veteran died after eatong cannabis while celebrating his birthday and suffering a ‘psychotic’ episode before falling from a window, an inquest heard.
A&E nurse Julian Garvey Vines Lewis had taken ‘edible’ cannabis chocolate on a birthday night out with friends and family on August 16 last year.
An inquest into his death heard that before he fell, Mr Lewis had been acting unusually, including pacing the landing of his home and talking to people who weren’t there.
Mr Lewis died in Salford Royal Hospital after sustaining an ‘unsurvivable’ head wound in the fall from his flat window.
Manchester Coroner’s Court heard Mr Lewis, who worked at Wythenshawe Hospital, had served in Afghanistan as an RAF medic.
He had been out celebrating his birthday with his girlfriend of 10 years Amie Maughan, his brother Robert, and several other family and friends at a restaurant in Prestwich the night before he died.
RAF veteran Julian Lewis (pictured, right, with girlfriend Amie Maughan) died from falling out a window after ingesting edible cannabis and suffering a psychotic episode an inquest heard
Before the meal, fitness fan Mr Lewis had climbed Mount Snowdon and had planned to go on another hike the following day.
Those who were with Mr Lewis said he was acting ‘normally’ when they convened at Robert’s flat before heading to the restaurant.
Ms Maughan told the inquest: ‘He was very happy. He seemed to have a really good time. Everyone seemed to have a great time. It was really nice.’
While at the restaurant, several members of the party took some ‘edibles’ – chocolate infused with cannabis.
After the meal, the friends re-convened at Robert’s flat nearby, but Ms Maughan and Mr Lewis did not stay for too long as the Julian seemed ‘really tired’.
However, Mr Lewis, who was born in Rochdale, started acting out of character on their way home to his flat.
As Ms Maughan brushed her teeth, she noticed her partner ‘pacing the landing’, and said he was ‘against the wall, like he was trying to turn off a light’.
During the inquest, senior coroner Nigel Meadows asked Ms Maughan if Mr Lewis ‘had a look of terror in his eyes?’
Pictured: A&E nurse Julian Lewis, from Rochdale, had served in Afghanistan as an RAF medic
Ms Maughan replied: ‘Yes. I have never seen him behave like that.’
Mr Lewis’s actions continued to be erratic, the inquest heard.
Ms Maughan said: ‘He was stood on his side of the bed. I was on the edge of my side.
‘He had his arms out and I thought he was going to flop onto the bed but he jumped across and wrapped his arms around me and we fell to the floor.
‘It was very unexpected. I was shocked by it.’
Throughout this time, Ms Maughan said Mr Lewis, who had not displayed any mental health issues in the past, had started to speak to people who weren’t present.
As his behaviour became increasingly worrying, Ms Maughan made the decision to leave the home, and contacted one of Mr Lewis’s cousins, who she knew had been driving.
Ms Maughan said: ‘I thought I was doing the best by allowing Julian to sleep whatever it was off.
The coroner was told Mr Lewis began acting strangely while walking home with his girlfriend
‘We had a hike planned in the morning with his mum. I thought he would sleep it off. He had settled in bed by the time I left.’
Sadly, just moments later, a 999 call was made.
Det Insp Chris Maddox, of Greater Manchester Police, said a neighbour in the flat below Mr Lewis’s reported seeing a ‘silhouetted’ figure of a man standing by his window roughly two minutes after Ms Maughan left the property.
Shortly after, the neighbour reported hearing a loud noise, and saw a man on the floor outside.
When paramedics arrived, Mr Lewis was taken to Salford Royal Hospital, but a CT scan revealed the injuries he sustained to his head that were ‘too severe’ to operate on.
A medical report into his condition said the injuries were ‘unsurvivable’.
Recording a conclusion of misadventure, Mr Meadows said: ‘I am satisfied that, on the balance of probabilities, he was suffering from a psychotic or delusional episode from the consumption of cannabis.
‘He may have been responding to something he thought was real but, objectively, [was] not there.
Girlfriend Amie left Julian sleeping but police were called later that night and found Mr Lewis had fallen from the window and suffered catastrophic head injuries that were ‘unsurvivable’
‘He died from the unintended consequence of a deliberate human act.
‘The loss of Julian at such an age in these circumstances is too much to bear for the family.’
After last week’s inquest, Mr Maughan paid tribute to Mr Lewis on the first anniversary of his death.
Ms Maughan, a nurse in Birmingham, said: ‘What a remarkable human being you were.
‘You sparked interest in others wherever you lay footprints in this world. People wanted to know you, be your friend and share their most precious memories but also create them with you.
‘I will never take for granted having almost ten years of a relationship with you. They were the best ten years of my life.
‘You guided me through the most difficult times, was on the sidelines waiting to cheer me on through every achievement and shared so many adventures with me.
‘I can only imagine if you were here now where we would be going this year and what we would be seeking together.
At an inquest held at Manchester Coroner’s Court (pictured), a coroner ruled that Mr Lewis died of misadventure after ingesting cannabis and suffering a psychotic or delusional episode
‘You served your country and all humankind. You saved so many lives, touched so many lives and made so many lives better just for being you.
‘You were so selfless and saw the best in everyone even if they didn’t see it themselves.
‘I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for being the best friend, the wind up merchant, the curious soul, and incredible boyfriend that you were.
‘You were so intelligent, every time we engaged on conversation I felt like I was being absorbed in a spectacular documentary. I learned so much from you as I’m sure others did also.
‘I could talk about you for hours, days and years because you were that amazing, not that you’d ever take any credit!
‘Thank you for being you, for saving me when I needed it most. For pushing me and for making me see how beautiful life truly is.’
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