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.