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Misadventure verdict on former regional daily journalist

A coroner has recorded a verdict of misadventure in the case of a former regional daily journalist who died aged 44 after a long battle with alcoholism.

Paul Gray, a former chief sub-editor on the Hartlepool Mail who also worked for the Teesside Evening Gazette, died of a massive internal haemorrhage last December.

An inquest into his death held this week heard that Paul, who picked up awards for his design skills, had given up alcohol towards the end of his life.

However coroner Claire Bailey said medical evidence showed that despite this, the damage to his liver had been irreversible and had been a contributory factory in his death.

The inquest heard that Paul’s sister, Sheila Sudlow, had called 999 while at his home in Stockton, after finding blood there.

Paul then collapsed and although paramedics arrived in minutes, they were unable to save his life.

Outside the inquest Sheila and Paul’s other sister Kath Reach paid joint tribute to their brother.

Said Sheila:  “He was a just a lovely man. People had such a lot of love for him and everyone loved him very much.”

Paul lost his job as chief sub-editor of the Hartlepool Mail in 2008 after sending text messages to a female colleague that were deemed inappropriate by the company.

But Mail publishers Northeast Press – part of Johnston Press – were ordered to pay him £20,971 in damages after an employment tribunal ruled he had been unfairly dismissed.

The tribunal hearing in 2008 ruled that had Northeast Press followed its own policies on alcohol and drugs, Paul would have had the chance of receiving treatment for his alcoholism instead of being dismissed.

However management had claimed they were not aware that Paul was an alcoholic until the disciplinary hearing.