A British carpenter who tragically died after taking a lethal cocktail of drugs and alcohol had spoken to his mum in the UK just hours earlier, excited to see her for Christmas.
Zac Taylor, 28, was found unconscious at a friend’s house in Warriewood, Sydney, on October 22, 2017, by his girlfriend Danielle Treharne, an inquest has heard.
Mr Taylor and Miss Treharne had been living in the Sydney suburb of Manly and Mr Taylor was in the process of obtaining Australian residency when he was found dead.
Zac Taylor (pictured, right), 28, was found unconscious at a friend’s house in Warriewood, Sydney, on October 22, 2017 by his girlfriend Danielle Treharne (pictured, left), an inquest into his death has heard
His mother Jane said she had an ‘open and honest relationship’ with her son, and that they spoke nearly every day, Wales Online reports.
‘The night/morning that Zac passed away I had spoken to Zac on FaceTime not long after he arrived at his friend’s – he was happy, we laughed and joked and he told me he couldn’t wait to see us all at Christmas,’ she said.
Originally from Porthcawl in South Wales, Mr Taylor was reportedly a recreational drug user and on the night he died he had been drinking and taking drugs at the house of friend Geraint Evans in Warriewood.
Mr Evans said he awoke early the next morning at around 5am to play with his young daughter.
The carpenter was in the process of obtaining Australian residency before he died, and had spoken to his mother in Wales just hours previously, telling her how excited he was to come home for Christmas
Originally from Porthcawl in South Wales, Mr Taylor was a recreational drug user and on the night he died, he had been drinking and taking drugs at the house of friend Geraint Evans
At around 7am, he heard Miss Treharne call his name in a ‘distressed way’ having found Mr Taylor lying on his back on a mattress, not breathing.
Mr Evans allegedly began chest compressions to try and resuscitate his friend while waiting for emergency services to arrive, but he was tragically pronounced dead at the scene.
Glamorgan Coroner Graeme Hughes told the inquest in Pontypridd, Wales, that Mr Taylor had died of ‘combined multi-drug (oxycodone and benzodiazepines) and alcohol toxicity’.
His toxicology reports revealed non-toxic levels of Xanax and Valium, and his alcohol levels were 127ml per decilitre – more than twice the NSW drink-drive limit.
‘Zac was an intermittent abuser of alcohol and drugs,’ the Coroner said.
‘That evening he was taking quantities of alcohol and drugs. Thusly it became toxic, causing respiratory depression leading to his death.’
Mr Taylor’s brother Shay said that Zac was someone he looked up to: ‘I have always been referred to and introduced to many as Zac’s little brother… this is something I always take great pride in, and just to be mentioned in the same breath as someone so funny, caring, charismatic, loving, generous and gifted is an honour and a privilege’
Mr Taylor and Miss Treharne arrived in Australia seven years ago, originally planning to travel the world, before they decided to settle in Sydney.
Mr Taylor’s brother Shay spoke at his funeral, saying that Zac was ‘always someone I looked up to’.
‘Throughout my life I have always been referred to and introduced to many as Zac’s little brother… this is something I always take great pride in, and just to be mentioned in the same breath as someone so funny, caring, charismatic, loving, generous and gifted is an honour and a privilege,’ he said.
‘It was overwhelming to see his transition from the boy that had left South Wales into the man that he had become in Australia. I will always be proud of my brother Zac. Truly one of a kind.’