Eloise Parry: Man convicted over diet pill death

Eloise Parry died in 2015 after taking eight dinitrophenol (DNP) capsules

An online dealer has been convicted of killing a woman who took toxic tablets sold to her as slimming pills.

Eloise Parry, 21, from Shrewsbury, Shropshire died in 2015 after taking eight dinitrophenol (DNP) capsules.

Bernard Rebelo, of Gosport, Hampshire, was found guilty of gross negligence manslaughter by an Old Bailey jury.

It is the second time he has been convicted of the charge, but his initial conviction was sent for a retrial by the Court of Appeal.

Jurors heard Rebelo bought the powder for the capsules from a factory in China.

The 32-year-old was remanded in custody to be sentenced by Mrs Justice Whipple on Tuesday.

Bernard Rebelo had denied the manslaughter charge

During his retrial, the court heard how the substance Ms Parry consumed was often advertised as a slimming product, but the known side effects included multiple organ failure, coma, and cardiac arrest.

During World War One, it was used as a base material for munitions products.

Prosecutor Richard Barraclough QC told the jury that online forums compared taking it to "Russian roulette", adding: "If you take it, you might live, or you might die."

Ms Parry, a Wrexham Glyndwr University student, had been diagnosed with bulimia and became "psychologically addicted" to the chemical after she started taking it in February 2015, jurors heard.

The court was told DNP was particularly dangerous to those who suffer from eating disorders as the toxicity level is relative to a person's weight.

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Ms Parry was admitted to Wrexham hospital in March 2015 after collapsing, and later sent a text to a friend saying she felt "stupid".

She said: "I knew I could not control my eating disorder well enough to take them safely, I knew it.

"It's not going to matter how skinny I am if I'm dead."

Three days later, she messaged: "I don't want to die, I never meant to hurt myself, I just felt so desperate."

She died in hospital a month later.

Ms Parry had been studying families and childhood studies

Rebelo, who ran his business from a flat in Harrow, west London, had sold DNP on two websites, which have since been taken down.

The prosecution said he sold the drug knowing of its dangers.

He was jailed for seven years after being found guilty at Inner London Crown Court in June 2018 but the conviction was overturned by the Court of Appeal, and judges ruled he would face a retrial.