Man with phobia of dentist died from painkiller overdose after refusing treatment

A footballer terrified of going to the dentist accidentally killed himself by self-medicating for an abcsess.

Jaye Milner, 24, died after taking fentanyl, a painkiller that can be 50 times stronger that heroin.

The promising sportsman - who had played against Man City star John Stones in his youth - had refused to seek help for a dental problem that had blighted him for four years, instead opting to self-medicate.

Jaye's family believe he accidentally overdosed.

“He couldn’t stand the dentist. He would go to get antibiotics for a temporarily fix but he couldn’t bear to undergo surgery," dad Tim, 52, told The Sun .

Jaye Milner and his dad went to the FA Cup Final together days before his death (Facebook)

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“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."

The Barnsley, South Yorkshire resident was found dead in bed at a friend's house last June.

The 24-year-old had a phobia of dentist needles, according to his dad Tim (Facebook)

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Tests found a level of fentanyl "likely to kill" in the Manchester Metropolitan University graduate's body, along with small traces of recreational drugs.

Just days before his death Jaye had been to the FA Cup Final at Wembley with his dad and was said to be in high spirits.

More than 1,000 people attended his funeral, which was dubbed 'Jaye Fest'.

Assistant coroner Prof Robert Forrest recorded a verdict of accidental death at an inquest in Sheffield.

More than 1,000 people turned out to Jaye's funeral (Facebook)

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Fentanyl was originally developed in Belgium in the 1950s to aid cancer patients with their pain management.

Its extreme potency and its effects similar to heroin mean it has become a big part of the recreational opioid market.

It is that potency which often leads to death however, with unsuspecting drug users misjudging the dose of a hit cut with fentanyl.

In 2017 more than 47,000 Americans died of opioid overdoses.