Pubdate: Sat, 24 Mar 2001
Source: Age, The (Australia)
Copyright: 2001 The Age Company Ltd
Contact:  250 Spencer Street, Melbourne, 3000, Australia
Website: http://www.theage.com.au/
Forum: http://forums.f2.com.au/login/login.asp?board=TheAge-Talkback
Author: David Adams

GARGLE DEATH: DOCTOR ACCUSED

A 21-year-old woman who died after consuming a mouthwash containing 10 per 
cent cocaine was killed as a "direct result of the incompetence and 
negligence" of the doctor and pharmacist who prescribed and dispensed the 
gargle, the Geelong Coroner's Court was told yesterday.

The comments were made during closing submissions in an inquest into the 
death of Jacqueline Mary Kelly. Ms Kelly, of St Albans, died after 
suffering a series of fits while in a spa in a hotel room in Lorne in the 
early hours of May 13 last year.

An autopsy report said Ms Kelly died of a heart attack due to a combined 
drug toxicity caused by a mixture of cocaine and alcohol.

The inquest had been told that before her death, Ms Kelly had consumed 
mouthwash which had been prescribed to a friend, Michelle Slowik, after 
complications from a tonsillectomy.

Yesterday, Ron Gibb for the Kelly family, said that Ms Kelly had died "as a 
direct result of the incompetence and negligence" of Ms Slowik's doctor, 
Sri Srikantha, and pharmacist, Andrew Lau.

Mr Gibb said the use of the word "cocaine" on the bottle's prescription may 
encourage experimentation and asked the coroner to consider making 
recommendations that it not be displayed so prominently.

Neville Bird, for Mr Lau, and Fiona Ellis, for Dr Srikantha, both said that 
Ms Kelly had caused her own death by drinking the mouthwash.

Mr Lau said he warned Ms Slowik that it was dangerous to swallow the liquid.

David Drammery, chairman of the Victorian faculty of the Royal Australasian 
College of General Practitioners, told the court that while giving Ms 
Slowik a cocaine mouthwash was justified, the cocaine content of the gargle 
was "manifestly excessive".

Senior Constable Mick Atkinson, said the amount of cocaine in the solution, 
had a street value of up to $10,000. He also said that the Victoria 
Forensic Science Centre had identified a rising trend in the illicit use of 
soluble cocaine for injecting. he coroner, Ian von Einem, will hand down 
his finding on April 13.
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