An army veteran was left unconscious in a shopping trolley on the side of the road before his tragic death. The trolley had been tipped over and Grant Goggins, 33, was left outside to die in the cold.
But the people who left him there didn’t call for help after he had consumed a lethal mix of Class A drugs. Instead, a horrified passer-by discovered Grant outside the Metcon Gym, Whitworth, and called for help before he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Grant’s struggle began 12 years ago after a personal tragedy that severely affected his mental health. His sister Jess shared that he was ‘in and out of services’ and had several hospital admissions before being diagnosed with bipolar disorder, reports LancsLive.
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Despite his challenges, Grant worked hard to overcome them. He was a religious man who read the Bible and paid for trips to Christian rehab centres. However, each time he stopped using drugs, his mental health issues would return, causing the rehab placements to fail.
Grant found comfort in music and was a talented electric guitar player. He was even offered a place at the London Institute of Music. In a kind act, he once gave a guitar to a homeless man to help him survive on the streets. His family described him as “He was generous to a fault”.
Last year, after spending time in a Christian rehab centre in Leicester, Grant returned to Lancashire drug-free. Despite housing issues, he continued to engage with mental health services. At the time of his death, he was living in temporary accommodation in Blackburn.
“He seemed to be able to slip through every gap in services over many years”, his family said. “We feel there were so many missed opportunities.”
Three days before he died, Grant received the news that a home had been found for him. But his sister Jess said: “By that time he had already become friends with someone who lived where he did and trusted him in his hour of need.”
On November 9, Grant and a man called Stephen Porter visited Graham Lomax at his flat in Whitworth. All three men were heavily under the influence of drugs. Despite a summons to attend the inquest at Accrington Town Hall, to give Grant’s family the answers they deserved, Porter failed to attend. Lomax, however, faced Grant’s family to give his hazy version of the events that night.
He said Stephen Porter was a relative who he did not like visiting his flat. “He’s a walking charge sheet”, he said. He had never met Grant before that night but said: “He seemed very quiet – Stephen said I’d like him because he was quiet.” Lomax told the coroners’ court he was so absorbed in his own drug taking he only noticed Grant had was seriously ill when Porter spoke out.
He claimed he started CPR and administered naltrexone – an opiate blocker carried by some heroin users. “I can’t have phoned an ambulance”, he said. “It would have been on my phone if I had. I don’t remember anything till I woke up in the police station.”
Turning to Grant’s family, he said: “I apologise. I didn’t know he was alive. I’m sorry I didn’t do more.”
Police launched a murder inquiry and identified Lomax and Porter from CCTV, which showed them pushing Grant in a trolley down Tongue Lane. Both men were arrested shortly after Grant’s body was found. Porter said nothing, but Lomax replied: “That guy there, he overdosed himself. He killed himself.”
When the post-mortem concluded Grant had not suffered any kind of assault, police consulted with the Crown Prosecution Service to determine what, if any crime, the men had committed.
Detective Inspector Mark Fallows, of Burnley CID said: “Morally I can’t think of a more reprehensible act to carry out. I spoke to the prosecutor about various things – failing to call emergency services and tipping the body out.”
“The fact they didn’t prevent a lawful burial or conceal Grant’s body fell short of a criminal offence.”
Toxicology results showed Grant died from an overdose of multiple drugs including heroin and cocaine. The combination of drugs was “unpredictable” and ultimately fatal, the inquest heard.
Grant’s family were heartbroken by the way their kind son and brother was treated in his last moments. They said: “Grant would have done anything for anyone but the kindness he showed to people in life was not shown to him.”
Coroner Kate Bisset said: “Grant was a much loved brother and son. He fought really hard. He was a hard working, loving man with strong family support. He continued to engage for a number of years. Grant was not taking drugs as a lifestyle choice, he was taking them to try and get better. Mental health services weren’t quick to provide assistance.”
“Grant was a man with an enormously large heart and that same was not shown to him. To callously dump him on the road – it was inhumane.”
Grant’s family criticised the decision to place him in temporary accommodation, where he was exposed to drug users at a time he was trying to remain clean. His mum Victoria said: “How can they put someone who is abstinent in a place like that?”
Jess said: “He seemed to be able to slip through every gap in services over a number of years. We feel there were so many missed opportunities. We feel if the appropriate support had been in place, Grant wouldn’t have been in the state he was in. We are heartbroken and overwhelmed with despair.”
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story.
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
