THE family of a Hereford man have paid tribute to their "kind and loving" son who died at the age of 29.

An inquest was recently held into the death of Jamie Kietisak Ainsley, almost two years after his death in 2022, with Mr Ainsley's parents saying that the father-of-two from Hereford was "deeply loved".

"Jamie was an incredibly kind, loving and sensitive soul. He was deeply loved as a son, father, grandson and brother," said Mr Ainsley's father Kevin.

"He loved nothing more than being able to spend time with his children and his two younger brothers. He absolutely thrived being around those kids. They brought out the best in Jamie and his innate kindness and gentleness. 

"Very sadly, there was also a fragility to him, which made him vulnerable to mental health problems."

The inquest ruled that Mr Ainsley's death was drug-related, with a post-mortem finding a deadly mix of several different drugs including cocaine, methadone and diazepam in his system.

He had been struggling with mental health and drug addiction and had been accessing NHS and Turning Point rehabilitation services.

Just days before his death, he had been admitted to Hereford County Hospital following an alleged assault in which he suffered a suspected nose fracture and bruising under his scalp.

Coroner Mark Bricknell ruled at the May inquest that Mr Ainsley "accidentally overdosed on medicine" including prescription drugs and painkillers "because of the pain from his injuries".

Drug rehabilitation and mental health professionals who worked with Mr Ainsley noted that "he was a caring person and he loved his mother and his children", and that he was "warm and polite but extremely anxious".

Despite his struggles, Mr Ainsley's parents recalled "beautiful memories of much happier times".

"These far outweigh the difficult memories," said Mr Ainsley's father. 

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"Family holidays to Thailand, enjoying the flora and fauna, joining in fun and games with friends and neighbours, trips to the mountains and waterfalls, and extended trips to Laos and Cambodia all nurtured Jamie's love of nature and the outdoors which he enjoyed throughout his life.

"Happy times living on a farm in Kingsland during Jamie's early years and Christmas with grandparents and great-grandparents are remembered with great fondness.

"Jamie loved football and was an ardent Arsenal fan, following them for most of his life. He was a great animal lover and had several cats in Hereford and a dog in Thailand.

"During more recent times one of the things he and his mum most enjoyed doing together was their almost daily walks along the river, chatting with friends on the way. They are well-known and liked by the local community."