A COCKTAIL of drink and drugs killed the son of a former BBC South Today presenter, an inquest has heard.

Charlie Parker, who's dad Bruce enjoyed 37 years with the corporation, was found dead at his friend's Winchester home on Saturday, April 4.

The 34-year-old, himself a BBC cameraman, had taken a fatal mix of alcohol, heroin and sleeping tablets.

Winchester Coroner's Court heard yesterday (Wednesday) that on the day of his death he had checked himself into a Southampton clinic to get help with alcoholism.

"I was pleased that he'd made the decision to do it," said Anne Williams, his mother. "He said 'I'm fed up with being an alcoholic and I'm going to do something about it'."

Mrs Williams, of Compton near Winchester, said he was staying with her for a few days after covering the G20 protests in London.

Mr Parker, a former Peter Symonds College student, told his mother he was popping out to return some camera equipment to a friend, at around 3pm on the Saturday afternoon.

The inquest heard he later met with his friend Tom Bell. The pair drank at the King Alfred pub, before returning to Mr Bell's flat in Monks Road around 6pm.

"I did not like his friendship with him, I thought he was a bad influence, I heard he took drugs," added Mrs Williams.

Mr Bell, who suffers from multiple sclerosis and is wheelchair-bound, told police he raised the alarm after his friend became unresponsive. Paramedics - who found three empty wraps of heroin at the flat - spent 20 minutes trying to resuscitate the 34-year-old but he was declared dead at the scene.

Det Con Craig Rainsley, of Winchester CID, told the inquest Mr Bell was arrested on suspicion of supplying heroin to Mr Parker, but released without charge. He was later convicted for possession of cannabis.

Recording a verdict of accidental death, Simon Burge, deputy coroner for central Hampshire, said: "He died as a result of a combination of alcohol in excess, sleeping tablets [diazepam] over the therapeutic level and a substance on the balance of probabilities I find to be heroin.

"He had got help, he had employment, he had plans and most importantly he had resolve. He was determined to take steps to address the underlying alcohol dependency that had scarred his life."

POSSIBLE SIDEBAR Bruce Parker, speaking after yesterday's inquest, said: "We're still devastated by his death and appalled by the manner of it. But this is no way diminishes our love for him and pride in his work.

"He was great fun to be with and as a father I treated him as a friend as well and of course he became a work friend too.

"We both thoroughly enjoyed our assignments together as reporter and cameraman. One's father is always critical of his son or child but I thought his work was always exemplary.

"I shall always remember him by his infectious smile and he loved a good joke."

"He had one or two personal problems which he was dealing with."