A CHEF who had become “depressed” during the coronavirus lockdown died after taking heroin for the first time in a friend’s flat.

Paramedics were called to a property in Wilbury Road in Hove just after midday on Thursday, June 4.

Sebastian Korby, of Penhill Road, Lancing, had been visiting a friend and had stayed overnight after falling asleep on the sofa watching films.

At the inquest into the 31-year-old’s death at Brighton Coroner’s Court on Friday, the court heard Sebastian and his friend James had smoked heroin and crack cocaine on the night of Wednesday, June 3.

The following day James had woken up to find Sebastian unresponsive and called 999. Paramedics carried out CPR but Sebastian was confirmed to have died at 1.02pm.

Coroner’s officer Mike Bebee said the pair had chosen to buy heroin as well as cocaine the night before, and it was the first time Sebastian had taken the drug.

The court heard from Sebastian’s grandfather, who said the chef had worked at a hotel in Arundel and had become “depressed” when he was furloughed during the first coronavirus lockdown earlier this year.

Sebastian had previously suffered with anxiety and depression and had used alcohol and cocaine as a coping mechanism. In 2018 he reported feeling anxious about getting a job to his GP and had self-referred for CBT therapy, but was unable to receive counselling during lockdown, the court heard.

In the same year Korby pleaded guilty to three counts of possessing indecent images of children and one count of possessing extreme pornographic images at Hove Crown Court.

The court heard Sebastian had also suffered from asthma.

Senior coroner Veronica Hamilton-Deeley recorded his cause of death as fatal toxicity of heroin, with anxiety and depression as contributing factors.

She said: “It is called heroin because it makes you feel like a hero. It gives you a high that no other drug can.

"I imagine going to work was a really important part of what Sebastian did.

"We heard he had previously been anxious looking for a job. Now he’d found that job he wanted to be doing it.

“Lockdown and coronavirus has so much to answer for.”

The coroner recorded a conclusion of misadventure.

She said: “Sadly in Brighton and Hove we have a lot of drug-related deaths.

"It’s important to find out what happened so police can try to prevent these deaths, which completely devastate families.

"Clearly this was not a deliberate overdose. You never think it is going to happen to you until it does.”