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Talented East London graffiti artist, 25, 'decomposed for 3 weeks' with door open but death remains a mystery

he death of a graffiti artist from Hackney will remain a mystery after his body was left to decompose for three weeks with his front door open. Lewis Wayne, 25, a.k.a. Halo, was found on his bed at his flat on Homerton High Street on May 27, 2022, during a welfare check after he failed to turn up to a drug use meeting.

Police also searched the bedsit and concluded there was no sign of disturbance, but did note "the door was insecure from where police had previously forced entry". Lewis had a history of drug and alcohol use, including diazepam and cannabis, and suicidal episodes. But, toxicology and pathology reports were unable to pinpoint a cause of death due to the decomposition.

At a hearing at Poplar Coroner's Court on Thursday (November 17), Lewis's mum Tracy Smith, 47, stunned assistant coroner Jonathan Stevens with new evidence she had gathered from her son's mobile phone. She revealed the avid social media user had suddenly stopped messaging friends on May 7, leading her to think this was when he died.

The court heard how accommodation manager Holly Greaves turned up at the flat - above the Spread Eagle pub - and tried to knock and shout before noticing the door was unlocked. In her statement, she said: "I pushed the door open and noticed legs on the door. We noticed black legs against the door and pushed the door again and noticed liquid on the floor."

A paramedic who was called noticed "a strong odour" at the small studio flat, but noted "no obvious signs of injury". A report by the Metropolitan Police found nothing "untoward" on the body, and no sign of disturbance in the flat. There was some cannabis and white powder on the table, as well as three phones, a tablet, and £180 in cash.

A toxicologist found low levels of alcohol and medium levels of diazepam in Lewis's blood. Though neither were found in lethal quantities, the report was hampered by the probable time between Lewis's death (around May 7) and being found (May 27). The pathologist's findings were also hindered and they ruled the cause of death as 1a unascertained.

Camden and Islington NHS Trust also launched an investigation into Lewis's death to see if it could have been prevented. A spokesperson for the trust said: "Having investigated, this was a death which was definitely unavoidable. There was no reason to believe this patient was any immediate risk when he was last seen or a risk to to self from any professional working with him."

This view was questioned by family friend Terry Tyler, 59, who asked: "Why did no health worker see it and do more?" Coroner Stevens explained reports showed "Lewis was not really good at engaging" with health services. He added: "They can't force people to engage, they do not have the power, they do not have the resources."

'I last saw him days before his birthday'

Tracy last saw Lewis ahead of his birthday when he came over to get his clothes washed© Handout

Lewis's mum Tracy recalled the lead up to his tragic death as she spoke about how his drug use began at the age of 19. She said Lewis would "fill his belly" with a strip of diazepam and then drink a bottle of brandy. 

She told the court how Lewis came home (April 27) days before his birthday to get some washing done. She remembered: "I could see that he was on something, that he was intoxicated, obviously he had stuff in his body... I just left him to get his clothes I did not get into a confrontation."

Next time Tracy spoke to him on his birthday (May 1) Lewis - who leaves behind three sisters - told her he had just been released from police custody after he was arrested for being drunk and disorderly. Then she did not hear from him for a few days before he finally went silent.

Tracy spoke of her desperation as a mum and how she had tried, and failed, to get involved a year earlier. She said: "I tried to phone the mental health worker myself and say what a problem this was. [But Lewis] would say 'How dare you try to stop my medication'."

She also blamed the people he mixed with, saying: "Even if he did not have lots of money he would still get the stuff or get a drink. People would say 'Come over, don't worry'." 

Lewis left his mark on the world through his art© Handout

She also tried calling police days before his death, asking officers if they had any record of him on May 23. But, she said she resisted the urge to report him missing because she knew how upset it would make him.

When she finally got a call from police, Tracy said she knew straightaway he was dead. She said: "For me it was such a shock, I have always begged him 'Please do not do that to me, do not make me the mum who gets the visit on the door step'.

"He's the first person to break my daughters' hearts, they adored him. We all miss him, it's such a tragedy. I wish there was more of a reason, more of an answer of why this happened. I feel like I lost my beautiful boy for no reason other than this awful stuff. Three of his friends have passed away through the same thing. Why do they not learn and see how awful it is?"

Speaking after the hearing, Lewis's mum revealed the young man also went by his graffiti artist name Halo. His tag can be spotted across East London, including a huge tribute painted in white in Shoreditch this summer after his death. Lewis's friends also left more subtle tributes to him in including 'Miss you bro" sprayed into a letter on a larger piece and tags saying RIP.

Tracy - who told MyLondon she's convinced the drugs killed him - still questions why Lewis was able to get so much diazepam. She claimed his medical records showed he had tricked doctors into giving him more drugs by saying it was "missing" or he had left it with his aunty. Now she's hoping to use her pain as a mum to help other young addicts.

She said: "I now speak to some of Lewis's friends. I'm there saying to one 'Please stop, look what happened'. I'm saying 'Please, it's not worth it, you're a beautiful young boy'. I just wish I could have saved my own boy." 

'We are lacking evidence'

Tracy also has Lewis's tag tattooed to her arm in his memory© Handout

Recording an open conclusion, Coroner Stevens said the court was "lacking evidence to know what happened to Lewis". Though he admitted his "worrying drug misuse habit" was the "most likely explanation", the lack of evidence would make such a conclusion "as good as guessing".

He continued: "We simply do not know why that door was insecure. We do not know whether drugs were a part or indirect cause of death, or if he had enough of life. Perhaps in a state of intoxication he fell over and hurt himself badly. The police did not think anything suspicious had happened, there had not been any sign of disturbance, they did not think any third party was involved.

"The only conclusion I can record is an open conclusion."