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Drugs overdose death: Questions remain unanswered





An inquest in Newbury Town Hall on Wednesday, October 29, was told that unanswered questions still surround the tragedy at Two Saints in Newtown Road on June 12.
The day before, the inquest heard, high-powered communications worker Fraser Donald Betts had seen his unborn babies on a hospital scan.
Hours later he was dead with a lethal cocktail of heroin, cocaine, alcohol and benzodiazapenes in his system, according to post mortem tests.
Around £130 in cash and his mobile phone were missing and have never been found, said assistant Berkshire coroner Emma Jones.
His partner Amanda Jane Williams, who used to live in Newbury, was summoned to attend the hearing but failed to turn up, as did Mr Betts’ friend Graham Gower, in whose hostel room the 37-year-old died.
The inquest heard that she and Mr Betts – who reportedly earned £3,000 per week at communications giant Sony – had been “very happy” to learn they were expecting twins.
The hearing was told that, after they celebrated the good news together, Mr Betts suddenly decided to take a 35-mile taxi journey to the hostel.
Ms Williams said in a statement that, after falling asleep, she telephoned Mr Betts in the morning. They spoke several times before his phone started going to voicemail.
Mr Gower said in a statement that he had known Mr Betts around six months and that he arrived at his hostel room around 2am.
Mr Betts signed in under an assumed name, the hearing was told, and Mr Gower said they drank alcohol together until his friend fell asleep next morning.
Another hostel resident, Paul Nutbeam, said he went to Mr Gower’s room in search of tobacco and soon noticed Mr Betts had turned blue and was not breathing.
They raised the alarm and a third resident, Paul Cottrell, said he tried to rescucitate the stricken man until staff took over and emergency services arrived.
Mr Betts was pronounced dead at the scene and post mortem tests showed a potentially lethal amount of heroin in his system, along with the other substances.
The cause of death was given as combined drugs toxicity.
Mr Betts’ mother acknowledged her son’s ongoing struggle with cocaine addiction but said he had a horror of heroin and would never knowingly take it.
She questioned why Mr Betts had travelled 35 miles in a taxi just to have a drink when the Basingstoke hotel in which he was staying had a bar.
Recording a verdict of death by misadventure, Ms Jones said: “He may have intended to take drugs and alcohol but he didn’t intend the consequences. It may be some comfort that, if he went to Mr Gower’s room to buy drugs, there’s no evidence he was forced into it or held down. He may have taken heroin inadvertently, thinking it was cocaine.”
Ms Jones recorded a verdict of death by misadventure.



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