JUDGES DAUTHTERS IN DRUG SHAME

A JUDGE'S daughter yesterday admitted allowing the supply of cocaine
during a birthday party at which one of her friends died.

Sonya Burke was celebrating her 23rd birthday at her father's weekend
home in Suffolk when Adam Brownlow took a lethal cocktail of drugs.
Within hours he had collapsed and died in hos-pital.

As well as pleading guilty to permitting the supply of cocaine during the
May celebration, Burke also admitted allowing the smoking of cannabis at the
period cottage in Dagworth, near Stowmarket:

Entertainment company worker Burke, 23, of Hampstead, north west
London, the daughter of deputy High Court Judge Jeffrey Burke QC,
appeared at Bury St Edmunds Crown Court.

The court was told Mr Brownlow, also 23, from Oxford, died hours after
collapsing at the party having taken the cocktail of drugs.

He was a friend of Burke's from their days at Leeds University. They
both graduated in 1999.

John Caudle, prosecuting at yesterday's case, told Judge John Holt
there was nothing to suggest that Burke, who works for a company near
Oxford Street, had anything to do with Mr Brownlow's death.

"This is a very, very unfortunate situation whereby during the course
of a party, a number of drugs were consumed by the partygoers and one
young man unfortunately died."

But he stressed: "There is absolutely nothing to indicate that this
defendant (Burke) had anything to do with that."

Although Burke admitted permitting the supply of cocaine and allowing
the smoking of cannabis she pleaded not guilty to permitting the
supply of Ecstasy and LSD and the judge ruled that the two charges she
had denied should "lie on file".

Burke, who left the court without comment, had her unconditional bail
extended by the judge.

But Judge Holt, who adjourned sen-tencing to a date to be fixed, said:
"All options remain open to the sentencing judge?"

A pre-sentence report was ordered to be prepared.

Many former students from Leeds University are believed to have been
at the party, which was held over a week-end.

Mr Brownlow's parents, Peter and Marilyn, who live near Oxford, were
said to be devastated by what happened.

And Burke's father, 56, a leading barrister who was not at the
picturesque cottage for the weekend party, was also reported to have
been deeply upset at how a night of celebration ended in such
catastrophic circumstances.

He is regarded as a leading expert in common law and specialises in
employment, discrimination, personal injury, industrial disease and
medical and pro-fessional negligence.

Mr Burke lives near St Albans, Herts, with his second wife, barrister
Jennifer Heal, who is 23 years his junior. He has two sons and a
daughter, Sonya, from his first marriage and a young son from his
second marriage.

His daughter lives with her mother Tessa at a UKP 1 million property in
Hampstead, where neighbours include show business stars and top
business-men.

An inquest into the death of Mr Brownlow has been opened and adjourned
by West Suffolk Coroner Bill Walrond.