FAMILY OF RACHEL WHITEAR WIN RIGHT TO NEW INQUEST

The family of a young heroin addict whose photograph was used to
educate schoolchildren about the dangers of drugs today won a fresh
inquest into her death.

The photograph of Rachel Whitear as used in an anti-drugs campaign

Rachel Whitear, 21, a former Bath University student, was found dead
six years ago after apparently taking a heroin overdose in her flat
in Exmouth, Devon.

Police initially treated the case as a routine overdose and she was
buried before a post mortem or toxicology tests were conducted.

Her mother and stepfather allowed pictures of her bloated body, with
an empty syringe in her hand, to be used in a video called Rachel's
Story, which was shown in schools to highlight drug dangers.

But they argued that there had been a failure to carry out a "full,
fair and fearless" investigation into her death.

An inquest in December 2000 recorded an open verdict, leaving the
cause of death as "unascertained".

At the High Court in London today Rachel's mother and stepfather,
Pauline and Mick Holcroft, backed a move by Wiltshire Police for a
court order overturning the original verdict.

Two High Court judges later gave the go-ahead for the new inquest,
which will be heard before a different coroner in a different district

Afterwards, Mrs Holcroft said: "Even from the very day that Rachel's
body was discovered, we were never entirely happy that everything
possible was being done to try and discover exactly why and how she had died.

"There was always a nagging suspicion that her death had been
regarded as just one more inconsequential drugs statistic."