Stella LeClaire

“During the course of the inquest I received information from the Toxicology service, that serves my court, that the number of requests by coroners, in 6 coroner areas, for analysis of blood samples for the presence of [REDACTED], had increased since 2021.”

“I am also aware that in the last 5 years prevention of future death reports have been submitted from a number of other coroner areas. In broad terms the reasons for those reports are concerns that the substance is sold [REDACTED] advocating its use in suicides [REDACTED] method.”

“Although there was circumstantial evidence that [the deceased] died from [REDACTED] toxicity, I was at pains to obtain a specialist toxicological analysis of a blood sample. The reason for this was to ensure that if the supplier of the substance can be identified in future the chances of successful prosecution would be improved by direct evidence of the cause of death. I raise this in case the Chief Coroner may wish to consider issuing guidance on whether blood toxicological analysis should be obtained routinely in coroners' investigations concerning [REDACTED] poisoning.”