Grand National-winning jockey Liam Treadwell died after taking ‘cocktail of drugs’

Grand National-winning jockey Liam Treadwell died after taking ‘cocktail of drugs’…  inquest hears he had suffered from depression after concussion from a fall four years earlier

  • Treadwell, 34, was found dead at his Shropshire home last June
  • Treadwell rode 100-1 shot Mon Mome to win the 2009 National at Aintree
  • He had suffered from depression after concussion from a fall four years earlier
  • Coroner John Ellery recorded a verdict of misadventure on Wednesday 

Grand National winning jockey Liam Treadwell died after taking a cocktail of drugs predominantly made up of ‘bute’ — a medication given to horses to treat pain and alleviate fever.

Shrewsbury Coroner’s court was yesterday told that ‘multi-drug toxicity’ was the cause of his death on June 23 last year. But senior coroner John Ellery said there was no evidence the 34-year-old intended to kill himself as he recorded a verdict of death by misadventure.

The court heard that Treadwell, who had been struggling with Covid-19 lockdown and the breakdown of a relationship, had spoken to Injured Jockeys Fund almoner Marie King and also had a takeaway meal with a colleague from the stable of Shropshire trainer Alastair Ralph on the night he took the cocktail of drugs.

Jockey Liam Treadwell died aged 34 after taking a cocktail of drugs, an inquest heard 

He later sent a text to his ex-girlfriend which read: ‘Taken a knock-me-out cocktail tonight, it will either end it for good or just shut me down for seven hours — I don’t mind either way.’

She alerted Ralph and his partner Kate Maxwell, who went to check on Treadwell.

They left just before midnight telling him he could call them night or day, with Maxwell saying in a statement that Treadwell seemed lucid and keen for them to leave.

Treadwell won the world's greatest steeplechase at Aintree on the 100/1 outsider in 2009

Treadwell won the world’s greatest steeplechase at Aintree on the 100/1 outsider in 2009

Treadwell was found dead in his home the next morning after failing to report for work. Ellery said: ‘I have to reach a conclusion on whether I think Liam’s death was deliberate. For suicide there has to be evidence of two things, the act which led to death and evidence of intent. There was evidence of the act because Liam took the bute at a toxic level. Do I consider that he intended to kill himself? No, I do not.’

The court had earlier heard of the pride of Treadwell’s family in his achievements which saw him win the 2009 Grand National on Mon Mome. But behind his success he had history of anxiety and depression.

A turning point came when a fall at Bangor left him unconscious for up three minutes in 2016. Treadwell subsequently took part in films about dealing with the after-effects of concussion.

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