She Manufactured, Sold, Consumed and Died of Date-rape Drug – a Tragic Story from Britain

She is believed to have fallen asleep in the tub after taking a dangerous combination of the 'date-rape' drug Gamma-butyrolactone, known as GBL, and Ketamine, an anaesthetic abused by clubbers, an inquest heard last week.

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Her husband Liam woke up to hear the taps running and found his wife's body when he went to investigate in October last year.

He pulled her out of the water and attempted resuscitation but she was already dead.

The inquest was told the couple ran a mail-order business, manufacturing and selling the legal but dangerous 'party drug' GBL.

A common solvent, it has been used in date rapes as it sedates and can cause uninhibited behaviour.

O'Dowd was initially questioned by police on suspicion of murder over the death of his newlywed wife at home in Holt Park, Leeds. But he was cleared of any blame following a detailed investigation by West Yorkshire Police.

Assistant deputy coroner Richard Manning said the two drugs she had taken were an especially dangerous combination.

He said: 'Mr and Mrs O'Dowd had an interest in a business involved in the manufacture of this drug GBL, which was the source of the drug found in this lady's body. They both acknowledge they used the GBL drug themselves in the  past.'

Mrs O'Dowd may have taken GBL the previous evening to help her get some sleep as she was in pain from a bladder condition, the hearing was told.

Her husband told police his wife did most of the running of the mail-order  business. After he was interviewed, detectives were satisfied with his story and took no further action.

The inquest heard  Mrs O'Dowd often drank large amounts of alcohol  and the couple had previously used cocaine, ketamine, Ecstasy and GHB - the class C drug which GBL turns into once in the blood stream.

On the day of her death, friend David  Doherty received a panic-stricken call from O'Dowd to say his wife had died. 'He was crying and in shock,' said Doherty, who  arrived at his friend's house a few minutes after the call.

He described Mrs O'Dowd as 'feisty and friendly' but a big drinker. 'In my opinion she took drugs in excess. She took drugs at all times of the day.' 

The coroner recorded an open verdict. He said the cause of death was drowning, coupled with GHB and ketamine intoxication.

But Manning added: 'I cannot say for certain she died from the drugs or intended to  cause her own death. She was newly-married and had everything to live for.'

Last week the Government revealed plans to ban GBL, which has been widely used in the plastics industry and legally available over the internet, Daily Mail reports.

Source: Medindia
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