WOMAN DIED 'AFTER PARTYING WITH FOOTBALL GREAT'

A 20-year-old Geelong woman died of a suspected drug overdose after
spending almost a week partying with former football great Gary
Ablett, a coroner was told yesterday.

Coroner Noreen Toohey was told that Alisha Keely Horan had accompanied
Mr Ablett to Melbourne four days before her death and was staying with
the former Geelong star at the Park Hyatt Hotel.

They were staying at the hotel as part of a business arrangement
between the hotel's owner, Ted Lustig, and a business associate of Mr
Ablett's, Alan Gerrand.

The court heard that Ms Horan - who was, according to Mr Gerrand,
"obviously infatuated" with Mr Ablett - spent part of the night,
before her collapse, at the Montague Hotel in South Melbourne with Mr
Ablett, Mr Gerrand and members of the South Melbourne Soccer Club.

Conflicting evidence was given to the court as to Ms Horan's condition
after she left the hotel.

Some witnesses who saw Ms Horan at the hotel - including the coach of
the South Melbourne Soccer Club, former Socceroo Michael Petersen and
Andrew Theoklitos - said the part-time barmaid was "out of it",
"struggling" and "really wasted".

Mr Theoklitos told the court Ms Horan appeared to be under the
influence of a drug.

However, Clinton Barry, formerly a front desk clerk at the Park Hyatt
Hotel, said Ms Horan "appeared normal" when she entered the hotel's
foyer about midnight that night. "They (Ms Horan and Mr Ablett)
appeared in good spirits and neither of them appeared affected by
drugs or alcohol," Mr Barry said.

About eight hours later Mr Ablett discovered Ms Horan prostrate on the
floor of their hotel room and she was taken by ambulance to St
Vincent's hospital.

"Still" photos from a security camera in the Park Hyatt's lobby, which
show Ms Horan entering the hotel for the last time, were yesterday
tendered to the court.

Anthony Tobin, an emergency doctor at St Vincent's, said Ms Horan's
prognosis was "dismal" when she was brought in to the hospital. Ms
Horan, 20, died about 8pm on February 18, 2000.

A toxicologist, Olaf Drummer, told the court he found traces of
ecstasy and heroin in Ms Horan's blood and urine.

He said Ms Horan had consumed "maybe two" green, "Mitsubishi" ecstasy
tablets "any time in the day prior to her death". The heroin found in
Ms Horan's blood and urine may have been contained in those ecstasy
tablets, Professor Drummer said, but he said that was unlikely.

It was possible Ms Horan, who was not a known user of illicit drugs,
may have consumed heroin orally, he said.

None of yesterday's witnesses - including Mr Petersen, Mr Gerrand or
Stewart Harrison, part-owner of Geelong's Wild Westcoast Saloon, where
Ms Horan worked - said they had ever seen Ms Horan take or talk about
illicit drugs or drug-taking.

Mr Gerrand told the court he received a phone call at home from Mr
Ablett about 8am on February17, soon after Mr Ablett had phoned for an
ambulance for a gravely unwell Ms Horan. "He (Mr Ablett) was
absolutely in a panic," Mr Gerrand said. "He said that Alisha had
passed out ... he said that she must have taken too many pills."

Mr Gerrand said he got in his car and picked up Mr Ablett a short
distance from the Park Hyatt - "because he was worried about the
media". He said Mr Ablett "looked exhausted and still drunk". He drove
Mr Ablett to his house and then to another location, where he stayed
the night, Mr Gerrand said.

Meanwhile, two key witnesses have refused to make statements or give
evidence to the coroner in relation to Ms Horan's death.

Clayton Brown, along with his girlfriend, Emmie Osawa, both formerly
of Toorak Road, South Yarra, are holidaying in Britain and are
expected to remain overseas for a year.

Counsel assisting the coroner, Senior Sergeant Ed Philip, said Mr
Brown, an associate of Mr Ablett's, and Ms Osawa had refused to make
statements despite being asked to do so by detectives from Scotland
Yard.

Mr Gerrand said Mr Brown and Ms Osawa were with Ms Horan and Mr Ablett
at the Montague Hotel the night before Ms Horan's death. Mr Brown had
also lunched with Mr Ablett earlier that day, he said.

Mr Petersen agreed with John Smallwood, QC, counsel for Ms Horan's
family, that Mr Brown had, on the night at the Montague Hotel, "looked
like a drug dealer" and had "reeked of drugs".

The inquest continues today. Mr Ablett may give evidence.