A “MISUNDERSTOOD” mum died in hospital of blood poisoning after years of heroin and crack cocaine use.

The beloved mother died after descending into a world of drugs, Bolton Coroners Court heard.

Claire Fernandez, 40, lived in Buckley Lane, Farnworth with her only son Tyrone.

Ms Fernandez plummeted to just six and a half stone in the months leading up to her death, losing her appetite as a result of drug use and mental health problems, the court heard.

Since the early 2000s, Ms Fernandez had been using heroin, cocaine and several other drugs.

Mr Fernandez said he dreaded going home as a teenager, living with his mum for short periods, before living with relatives on a number of occasions.

He said: “She was totally unfit to care for me. I used to come home and my mattress would be ripped out. She used to lose her gear and look everywhere for it.”

He added that there were often “bags full of needles in her bedroom” and “blood all over the walls”.

Ms Fernandez developed an infection in her right leg after injecting herself in the ankle, according to doctors from Royal Bolton Hospital who presented evidence. 

The infection worsened and she was taken to hospital on November 12, 2018, and diagnosed with sepsis. Ms Fernandez died the following day.

Mr Fernandez said: “My mum was really nice. She was very generous She was very giving, the kind of person that would give her last pound for you.

“Sometimes, when I look back, she was very misunderstood. She wasn’t perfect in terms of how she handled things, but in terms of her generosity, she was great. I think she was turned into a person she shouldn’t have been.

“She had a lot of childhood problems and I think that led to her mixing with the wrong crowd.”

Ms Fernandez used the substances as a coping mechanism, said assistant coroner Rachel Galloway. She recorded a conclusion of a drug related death — the intravenous drug use led toinfection and then sepsis.