47-year-old Neil Reilly had battled drug addiction for a decade before his death

A Nottinghamshire dad-of-three "will never meet his grandchildren" after being found dead in a friend's flat just days after Christmas.

Neil Reilly "had been sofa-surfing for some time" before his death at the property on Chatham Court in Newark, on December 27 last year.

The 47-year-old, who had struggled with drug misuse and mental health issues for more than a decade, had made plans on Christmas Eve to visit his ex-partner's house and see his children the following morning.

But he did not arrive or reply to her texts and, after Mr Reilly's friend who owned the property returned two days later, he found the 47-year-old face down in the living room.

A toxicology report discovered high levels of cocaine "sufficient enough to cause death" in the 47-year-old's system, an inquest at Nottingham Coroners' Court on Monday (October 19) heard.

After separating from his ex-partner of 16 years in March 2025, Mr Reilly stayed at a number of friends' properties, including the flat on Chatham Court where he died.

When the 47-year-old did not arrive to open presents with his two children as planned on Christmas Day, his ex-partner contacted Mr Reilly's sisters.

After knocking and asking for their brother to no avail, they contacted Mr Reilly's friend who owned the property and the only other person who could get into the flat with a key.

He had been away in Mansfield for several days as he had recently entered a relationship and was staying with his new partner at their house.

Together with another friend, the owner of the property walked into the flat and discovered Mr Reilly's body in the living room, before calling East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS).

The father-of-three was pronounced dead at 12.59pm, explained PC Simon Pinnington, a response officer for Newark who attended the incident on behalf of police.

He told the hearing that "drug paraphernalia was found in the front room, but no drugs were identified," with two empty plastic bags - commonly known as deal bags - also in the flat.

Concluding that Mr Reilly died as a result of acute cocaine toxicity, assistant coroner Neena Sharma said the 47-year-old also had a longstanding history of alcohol misuse which had led to liver disease.

He also suffered from several mental health issues, including paranoia, and regularly used other drugs such as ecstasy and cannabis.

Mr Reilly had previously sought help from a substance misuse organisation, but he did not attend several scheduled meetings.

Several members of Mr Reilly’s family were in attendance at the hearing, including his sister Karman Riley, who said: "He did a lot of fundraising for Newark Football Club and for people who needed help. He was great. He just struggled.

"He would have had two grandkids now. He would have been a grandad. He was just a beautiful soul."

Concluding the inquest, Ms Sharma added: "He will never get to meet his grandchildren."

In a tribute shared to social media on the day of Mr Neill's death, a spokesperson for Newark Town FC said: "Sometimes in life, football comes second.

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to Neil’s children, his loved ones and his many, many friends. You always knew when Neil was at the football… you could hear him singing.

"A big supporter of Newark football, having managed numerous teams in the area and as a supporter pitchside. RIP Neil you will be missed."