An inquest into the death of a pharmacy student last year has ruled he died from misadventure as a result of asphyxia.

Tarik Altinsoy, a 20-year-old student at Keele University, was found dead in bed in his accommodation in Newcastle-under-Lyme in the early hours of May 5, 2023 by Staffordshire Police.

According to the Stoke Sentinel, the inquest at Stoke Town Hall on Thursday heard he had not been seen since the early hours of May 4, 2023 after a night out during which it was believed he drunk 12 shots.

The newspaper reported North Staffordshire assistant coroner Duncan Ritchie as saying there was “no evidence” the youngster had any mental health problems and suggested “he was a relaxed and happy young man.”

“His mother was a mental health nurse with 20 years of experience and it’s expected that she would have noticed any signs of mental illness or distress,” Ritchie said.

He said Altinsoy went to bed at about 2.15am having chatted to his housemates “about music” and “was not seen alive again.” His room was locked from the inside and his housemates, who were concerned he was not replying to messages or using his social media, called the police. They forced their way in and found him dead in bed.

“Having considered the evidence, on the balance of probabilities Tarik’s cause of death is asphyxia,” Ritchie said. “I exclude third-party involvement and I rule out suicide because Tarik has not suffered from mental health issues nor had a desire to end his life.

“I do know that Tarik had mentioned the possibility of chemsex which could have meant he had considered erotic sex in the future, and it’s known that some people get sexual pleasure from asphyxiation, and I find that is likely what happened to Tarik.”

Image: Keele University.