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Coroner Rules Lancaster Student Natasha Braithwaite Died a Drug-Related Death Linked to Heroin

A separate inquest into boyfriend Tom Dingle’s death is scheduled for April 9.

Overview

  • At a March 10 hearing at Preston Coroner’s Court, the coroner concluded the 19-year-old’s November death was drug-related.
  • Toxicology showed fatal levels of morphine, and a clinical scientist’s assessment indicated the substance taken was likely heroin.
  • Police said a metal spoon taped to her desk and a bottle of lemon juice were found in her room, items detectives described as consistent with heroin use.
  • Braithwaite was discovered unresponsive in her Bowland College accommodation on November 20 after boyfriend Tom Dingle raised the alarm; she was pronounced dead at the scene.
  • The inquest heard she had experienced post-traumatic stress after an incident in Abu Dhabi the previous year, and separate reporting notes Dingle was found dead on December 25 following a missing-person search, with his final inquest set for April 9.