Sri Lanka drug deaths: Rugby players 'unaware it was heroin'

Thomas Baty (left) and Thomas Howard were discovered in their hotel rooms suffering from respiratory failure

Two rugby players who died after taking drugs in Sri Lanka would not have known what they were taking, an inquest has been told.

Thomas Howard, 25, and Thomas Baty, 26, died while on tour with Durham-based Clems Pirates RFC in May 2018.

They were said to have paid a local taxi driver to get them drugs, but were not regular users and would have been unaware it was heroin they were taking.

The coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death.

Pathologists told the inquest that although they had been given limited evidence from Sri Lanka, it seemed "highly likely" that the cause of death in both cases was "opiate toxicity".

The hearing, at Crook Coroner's Court, was told a Durham Police investigation found significant gaps and inconsistencies in the Sri Lankan evidence.

'Forgotten about'

Evidence from the Sri Lankan investigation included a tuk tuk driver who said two foreigners got in and "one of them asked me if I could find them some heroin".

It was claimed they were later supplied with seven packets of heroin by another man before he returned them to the hotel.

The inquest heard they had taken a substance known locally as "brown sugar", which was a cheap version of heroin.

Coroner Crispin Oliver said: "They had no prior knowledge of this substance. They would not have known that it was heroin."

Witnesses gave different accounts regarding the amount the men paid for the drugs, with some saying it was 15,000 Sri Lankan rupees and others saying it was 10,000.

Det Cons Phil McEhone, from Durham Police, told the hearing a Sri Lankan was named in court as the alleged drug dealer but he was never arrested and "seems to be forgotten about".

The officer said it had been frustrating trying to get information from Sri Lanka and the inconsistencies meant "none of it sits right".

He agreed with the coroner that they were "not two lads who were habitual drug users. They were not in that circle at all".

When asked if it was probable they had not sought heroin and were unaware that was what they were taking, he said: "It is more than likely, from what I have heard from Sri Lanka."

Ruling a verdict of accidental death, Mr Oliver described it as a "genuine tragedy" and a warning to others travelling abroad to be careful about " what they are encouraged to take".