A BBC radio presenter and musician who arranged theme music for Have I Got News For You and The Office, died after taking illegal party drug Meow Meow, an inquest heard.
Grandfather-of-three George Webley, 53, died of a massive heart attack after he was found collapsed at home by his wife in May this year.
Toxicology tests carried out after Mr Webley's death showed the cardiac arrest was triggered by the illegal stimulant mephodrone.
Larger than life: BBC presenter George Webley died after taking illegal drug Meow Meow
An inquest was told the award-winning presenter was found on all fours, struggling for breath at his home in Stony Stratford, near Milton Keynes by his wife Sheila.on May 7 this year.
She opened the back door to give him some fresh air before calling for an ambulance but when paramedics arrived, he was pronounced dead.
Coroner Thomas Osborne recorded a verdict of death by 'misadventure' at Milton Keynes Coroner's Court on Monday.
He added that Mr Webley, known to his fans as 'Big George', died as a result of taking 'designer drugs.'
He said: 'The verdict should be that Mr Webley suffered quite severe heart disease.
'Because of the cathinones found in his blood, these designer drugs, and his previous illness, it's more likely than not that the final event was caused by the drugs in his system.'
Big George: A verdict of misadventure was recorded at an inquest on Monday
A post-mortem found Mr Webley, who previously suffered a heart attack aged 38, died from Ischaemic heart disease and the illegal use of cathinones.
The coroner said: 'It is wrong to record natural causes. The verdict is he died as a result of misadventure. He was taking the drugs not for taking his own life.
'But this was an action that went wrong and led to his heart attack and subsequent death.'
The Class-B drug, nicknamed Meow Meow, has been linked with a string of deaths across Britain and was outlawed in April last year.
Mr Webley's career as a radio presenter began in the mid-1990s when he was host on a Saturday late show on GLR, the BBC station for London.
In 2002 won a gold Sony Award for best music presenter for his show on BBC Three Counties Radio.
He also enjoyed a long musical career as a band leader and performer, and composed the theme for comedy show Room 101.
David Robery, editor for BBC London 94.9, paid tribute to a 'larger than life' man following George's death.
He said: 'Big George lived up to his name in every sense. He will be terribly missed.'
Meow Meow: Class B drug Mephodrone has been blamed for a string of deaths across Britain and was banned in April. dailymail.co.uk
0 comments:
Post a Comment
Terima kasih telah memberi komentar.