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Actress high on cocaine scalded to death in bath
02.04.08
Actress Natasha Collins died in a scalding hot bath after a drink and drugs binge at the flat she shared with TV presenter Mark Speight, an inquest heard today.
The 31-year-old was found dead at their penthouse in St John's Wood on 3 January. She had taken large amounts of cocaine, as well as alcohol and sleeping pills.
When boyfriend Speight found her, 60 per cent of her body was covered in burns from the bath water.
He attempted to resuscitate her while paramedics rushed to the scene but by the time they got there she was already dead.
Westminster coroner's court heard how the couple had spent the post-Christmas period together alone because they had been working constantly for several months.
Speight told police that the couple had been "partying" and had taken sleeping pills, cocaine, wine and vodka. Miss Collins had also taken a mild diuretic and had complained of a stomach ache.
The court heard the couple went to bed at 4am and at 1.15pm Speight found his fiancée unconscious in the bath.
Consultant pathologist Professor Sebastian Lucas conducted a postmortem on Miss Collins.
He told the court he found 3.42 milligrams of cocaine in her body, which he said was well in the fatal range. There were also traces of alcohol, two types of sleeping pill and paracetamol.
She also had a 1cm hole in the septum in her nose, which he said was consistent with continued cocaine use.
Her heart showed "contraction bands" found in people who have taken cocaine.
Professor Lucas said Miss Collins was so badly burned "something must have happened to dampen her responses".
Coroner Paul Knapman said: "It does seem that whilst Mark Speight was asleep she got up, she went into the bathroom. She had a bath.
"It's likely that she had some heart problem, lay in the bath, and that caused her to lose consciousness and unfortunately she had the hot tap still going.
"Even if it had not been going, the professor said this is sufficient cocaine to kill people anyway. A likely bad situation was made worse."
He added: "In conclusion, we have heard that in the privacy of their flat they had embarked on adventurous behaviour, ignoring the risks. She has suffered the consequences by the ending of her life. It is a tragedy, of course, for all concerned."
The court heard that Miss Collins' private psychiatrist, Padraig Wright, said she had no suicidal thoughts. The actress was seeing a psychiatrist after being involved in a road traffic accident in 2001 in which she suffered a traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress and short-term memory loss.
Recording a verdict of misadventure, Dr Knapman said Miss Collins died from cocaine toxicity and immersion in hot water.
Speight, who appeared at the inquest wearing blue jeans, a black T-shirt and black blazer, was arrested after his fiancée's death, but was released after the results of the post-mortem showed there were no suspicious circumstances.
Speight and Miss Collins' mother, Carmen, issued a statement outside court. They said: "Natasha was a loving daughter, fiancée, sister and friend with a very positive attitude towards life.
"She was always thinking of others. We are devastated that her life was cut short and we miss her deeply. She will always remain in our hearts."
