A popular railway worker died from a drug overdose, an inquest has revealed.

Olabanji Ojikutu, known as “Banji’’ was found dead in his room by his landlady.

The cause of death at his inquest yesterday was listed as cocaine overdose.

A post-mortem examination found that Mr Ojikutu, 43, had dosage of the drug in his system that was within the fatal range.

Mr Okijutu was found dead by Carole Hall at their home in Bentley Road, Ashford, last Saturday, December 13.

She said at 1.30am that morning he had popped his head round her door to asked why she was still awake. She said that she had difficulty sleeping because of a knee operation she had had.

"I went in and found him laid on the settee. He was stone cold. He just looked very peaceful as if he had gone in his sleep..." - Carole Hall

He said he was going to bed.

Mrs Hall said that when Mr Ojikutu didn’t get up late that morning she was not unduly worried as it was his day off and he would have a lie-in.

But during the course of the day he had not even got up to eat so she checked on him just before 4pm.

She told the hearing: “I knocked on the bedroom door and there was no response. I went in and found him laid on the settee. He was stone cold.

“He just looked very peaceful as if he had gone in his sleep.’’

Mrs Hall said that Mr Ojikutu had stayed with her family since early October.

She told the inquest: “We thought he died of pneumonia. I never knew about cocaine.’’

But she told the inquest that her son, whom Mr Ojikutu was friends with, had known about the drug habit and Mr Ojikutu knew never to use the substance in the house.

She said: “He didn’t. He was very good like that He was a very nice man who helped me over my knee operation.’’

Mrs Hall said that the only thing that seemed to be wrong with Mr Ojikutu on that last night is that he seemed to have a head cold.

Christine Freedman, assistant coroner for Central and South East Kent, gave a conclusion of drug-related death.

She said: “This is a tragic story of delightful young man who was clearly fit and healthy. There was no other cause of death.’’

"This is a tragic story of delightful young man who was clearly fit and healthy..." - Assistant coroner Christine Freedman

Pathologist Dr Salim Anjarwalla said that the post mortem had also found a substance in Mr Ojikutu called benzoylecgonine, which is what the body turns cocaine into.

He said it was difficult to say when the drug had been taken, that only the level and prevalence could be confirmed.

The inquest heard that Mr Ojikutu was a highly popular man with a busy social life.

Mrs Hall told the inquest at Folkestone Magistrates Court that he would be out most evenings as he had so many friends.

She said that Mr Ojikutu was friends with both her son and late husband and the family had known him for years.

He otherwise worked long days on the railways, sometimes going to London. He would leave the house at 6.30am and coming home between 5 and 6 that evening.

At the time of of Mr Ojikutu’s death there was an outpouring of grief in Ashford as he was widely known in the town.

The Express at the time reported that several messages on Facebook portrayed his as a kind and generous person, one contributor calling him a “giant gentleman.’’

Hundreds of mourners turned up at his funeral at Charing Crematurium last January.

Olabanji Ismail Olalokuaok Ojikutu was born in London on December 9, 1971. He died just four days after his 43rd birthday.

Police at the time of the tragedy had not treated his death a suspicious.