07 June 2024 , 21:30
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A former England rugby league star died of a drug and alcohol overdose after suffering with depression after retirement, an inquest head.
Ex-Salford captain Malcolm Alker, 45, who was capped twice by England, died of multi-organ failure due to multiple drug toxicity, a coroner ruled. Wigan-born Alker, who spent his entire career at the Red Devils, drank heavily to cope with mental health issues after retiring from rugby. He had a long-standing brain injury which was thought to be the result of blows to the head and led to him being diagnosed with the onset of suspected dementia.
Father-of-two Alker worked as a bricklayer and HGV driver after hanging up his boots. But he struggled with depression and in 2018 was jailed for carrying out two cocaine-fuelled robberies with a machete at Tesco and KFC in his hometown of Wigan.
Shortly before his death he'd moved into his mum's house because of domestic problems, Bolton Coroners Court heard. He was living in the house alone, but his family checked up on him regularly, it was said.
Police were called to the home in Ince, Wigan, following reports of concern for his welfare on January 13 this year amid concerns he may have taken an overdose. Medics were told he'd taken sleeping tablets but he had not intended to harm himself and he was blue lighted to Royal Bolton Hospital. Empty bottles of gin and vodka were also found by police at the house, the inquest heard.
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Because the A&E department was so busy he had to wait in the ambulance, where he suffered a cardiac arrest. Within minutes, he was taken into the resuscitation unit. Tragically, he suffered a second cardiac arrest and was placed in the critical care unit but was pronounced dead on the morning of January 14.
A post mortem exam found he died of multi-organ failure due to multiple drug toxicity. The levels of medication in his system were found to be low, because they had been broken down by the body in the preceding hours.
Alker died earlier this year (Popperfoto via Getty Images)The inquest heard he had a history of drug and alcohol problems, which he used as a way of coping with anxiety and low mood. There had been previous attempts at self-harm and "impulsive" overdoses in the period between 2015 and 2021, it was told.
In his summing up, coroner Michael Pemberton said Mr Alker's life "went off the rails" following the end of his professional rugby career. He said: "There were times when he found things difficult and there had been a number of disruptive events in the preceding few years."
He gave a conclusion of alcohol and drug-related death. Alker made his first-team debut with Salford in 1997 and was first named captain in 2000, aged just 21, before becoming the club's full-time skipper. He spent his full professional career with the club, amassing 292 appearances.
In 2001 he became the first player to exceed 1,000 tackles in a Super League season. At the time of his death, he pursuing a compensation claim against the sport's governing body for brain damage sustained while playing the game.