Young footballer with severe phobia of the dentist accidentally killed himself with Fentanyl painkillers

A YOUNG footballer with a severe phobia of the dentist accidentally killed himself with Fentanyl painkillers, an inquest heard.

Jaye Milner, 24 – who once played against Man City ace John Stones as a schoolboy – died accidentally after taking the painkillers said to be 100 times more potent than heroin.

Jaye, from Barnsley, South Yorks, refused to seek treatment for a four-year tooth abscess because of his phobia.

Instead his devastated family believe he tried to self-medicate and claimed his own life by mistake.

'HE COULDN'T STAND THE DENTIST'

Today, his grieving dad Tim, 52, spoke out in a bid to warn about the deadly and little-known synthetic drug – meant solely for use in hospitals as an extreme pain reliever.

He said: “He couldn’t stand the dentist. He would go to get antibiotics for a temporarily fix but he couldn’t bear to undergo surgery.

From our point of view it is the pain that he was in that has led him to taking it [Fentanyl]. His tooth pain was the driving force

“Even as a kid he had to be put to sleep because of his fear of needles. He was just so scared.

“After he died, I found out he had been using chewable Fentanyl patches.

“He probably thought that it was helping him but it is that that’s killed him.

“From our point of view it is the pain that he was in that has led him to taking it. His tooth pain was the driving force.”

'UNPREDICTABLE' DRUG

Fentanyl is at the centre of a poisoning epidemic in the USA and is on the rise in the UK, where it is increasingly being used by dealers to pad out street drugs and maximise profit.

Music legend Prince died after taking what he thought was Vicodin but was actually a counterfeit painkiller laced with the drug.

At Jaye’s inquest in Sheffield, a coroner warned about the “unpredictable” drug and told how it has led to the death of people who had “absolutely no intention of killing themselves”.

Jaye, who graduated in criminology from Manchester Metropolitan University, was found in bed at a friend’s house in June last year.

If you treat yourself [with fentanyl] then you may not be able to rescue yourself if you get into breathing problems or have problems with your heart rate

Tests revealed a level of Fentanyl “at a level likely to kill”, along with smaller traces of other recreational drugs.

Pathologist Prof Kim Suvarna said: “Fentanyl can be incredibly powerful and can kill.

“A small amount of the drug may be useful in the doctors to keep you pain free but if you treat yourself then you may not be able to rescue yourself if you get into breathing problems or have problems with your heart rate."

What is Fentanyl?

• Fentanyl is a prescription painkiller that gives relief from chronic diseases and is said to be 100 times more powerful than morphine.
• The opioid drug is used by patients across the world suffering from a chronic condition.
• Due to its strength, it is highly controlled by doctors and pharmacists and cannot be prescribed for children.
• It can be administered in patch form or can be injected into the body via a needle or a drip.
• Pop legend Prince was found dead in an elevator having taken an accidental overdose of Fentanyl in 2016.

'JUST A FEW GRAINS CAN BE DEADLY'

Jaye, a massive Man United fan, had been to the 2018 FA Cup final at Wembley with his dad just days before his death, and was said to be in high-spirits.

He had recently learned that his volunteer job helping vulnerable adults was set to be made permanent.

Around 1,000 mourners packed out his funeral – which was dubbed Jaye’s Fest.

Tim added: “If you ask 100 people on this street, 99 will never have heard of Fentanyl.

“I’d never heard of it until now. I had to Google what it was.

“Jaye was a really kind, lovely kid. He was my life and my best mate.

People came from all over the world for his funeral. There was standing room only.

Jaye was a really kind, lovely kid. He was my life and my best mate

“Everyone has been devastated by his death. His mum Sonya and I spend hours at his grave.

“I just keep thinking about Fentanyl and how little is known about it.

“I want to get the message out that even if it is taken on its own as a painkiller just a few tiny grains can be deadly.”

Assistant coroner Prof Robert Forrest recorded a verdict of accidental death.

“He did not like doctors and he did not like dentists, and he may have had a persistent tooth abscess," he said.

“There’s no evidence that he had very regular heavy use of drugs.

“Fentanyl was the major cause of his death although there were a number of others found in his blood. None of them were in concentrations which would have been likely to cause his death.

“I believe that he may not have realised he was taking a potentially lethal dose of Fentanyl.”

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