A much-loved father who was found in a serious condition in an Oldham street died after suffering a "catastrophic" brain injury, an inquest has heard.

Wayne Hopwood died on January 14, 2023, at Salford Royal Hospital, two days after he was found collapsed in a parking area of Greenwood Street, Greenacres.

Following a two-day inquest at Rochdale Coroners' Court, it was heard that Mr Hopwood suffered a number of falls during the early hours of January 12 which led to his death.

After Mr Hopwood's death, his son, Brett Holt, launched a fundraiser to pay for his father's funeral, saying he wanted to make his dad "proud".

Tributes were left on the GoFundMe page, which raised more than £4,000, with Mr Hopwood's niece Amileigh Hodges writing: "Uncle Hoppy will be truly missed, miss him turning up and having me and mum laughing with his silly self world will never be the same without you, your kids already have done you proud and will carry on to do so every were they go you will be with them, goodnight and sleep peacefully uncle hoppy."

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At the conclusion of Mr Hopwood's inquest yesterday (Wednesday, March 20), senior coroner for Manchester North, Catherine McKenna, said: "It is clear to me that Wayne was loved by his family and is dearly missed."

Ms McKenna said in her conclusion that in the early hours of January 12, 2023, Mr Hopwood, who lived on Chestnut Close in Greenacres, was seen on CCTV in a "disorientated" state, making his way through the Littlemoor and Greenacres estate.

Mr Hopwood was said to have been "crawling, stumbling and lying in the road" before he eventually entered an address on Littlemoor Lane.

The address was not known to Mr Hopwood, with Ms McKenna saying it is possible he might have mistaken it for the home of a friend.

An occupant of the address became aware of the entrance of Mr Hopwood, who then fell down the stairs.

The occupant then ushered Mr Hopwood out of the property in a way which Ms McKenna said did not "seem to be aggressive" before the 49-year-old then continued walking around the area.

Mr Hopwood was eventually found lying on the ground near Greenwood Street and was taken to Royal Oldham Hospital, before being transferred to Salford Royal Hospital where he died on January 14 in the intensive care unit.

Pathologist Dr Jamie Robinson said Mr Hopwood died as a result of a "catastrophic brain injury", which Ms McKenna accepted as the cause of death.

Ms McKenna said this injury was caused by one of Mr Hopwood's falls or the series of falls.

While Dr Robinson could not rule out that Mr Hopwood's brain injury could have been caused by a blow to the head, Mr Hopwood had no other injuries which would be associated with an assault and police found no evidence of an assault at the address where he fell down the stairs.

The court heard that Mr Hopwood's disorientated state was caused by alcohol, anti-depressant medication mirtazapine, and concussion.

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