Irishman's Death On Round-world Trip Linked To Drugs

[funfun]

Irishman's death on round-world trip linked to drugs

By Paul Melia and Andrew Drummond

Saturday April 05 2008

The body of a 32-year-old Co Louth man who died in Thailand after allegedly taking a cocktail of drugs is expected back in Ireland today.

Police said yesterday they had closed the file on the death of Elliot Blake (32), who died while on a round-the-world trip with his girlfriend.

Mr Blake, who was understood to be living in Navan, Co Meath, died in a guest house in the early hours of last Monday after he was found staggering on the street.

His girlfriend, Claire Duignan (23), from Westmeath, woke in the Top North guest house in the northern Thai capital of Chiang Mai to discover his body.

Despite efforts to revive him, he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police in Thailand said yesterday there was no evidence of foul play in Mr Blake's death. However, the results of a post- mortem have not been released.

Confirmed

The Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed his death, and said it was providing assistance to his family. A spokeswoman refused to comment further, saying it was a private matter.

His girlfriend told police that Mr Blake had been a heroin user in Ireland, and had acquired the substitute methadone from a local hospital.

"Earlier in the evening we went out for some food and a few drinks, but nothing much," Ms Duignan said yesterday.

"We came back to the guest house and I went to the room, while Elliot stayed downstairs watching TV.

"When I left him he was quite normal, then much later when he didn't come back to the room I went looking for him.

"I found him on a nearby road staggering back to the guest house. He was completely different from when I left him and I had to help him back to the room. When I woke up I didn't realise he had died. I poured water on his face to wake him up but it didn't work.

"We've been travelling for a year now, Elliot used to use heroin in Ireland but since we've been traveling he hasn't. When we got to Chiang Mai he went to a hospital and got some methadone."

It is understood Mr Black may have combined methadone with valium, which led to his death. Chiang Mai is a popular destination with backpackers.

Mr Black's family travelled to Thailand earlier in the week to arrange for his body to be flown home.

The couple had decided to travel around south-east Asia, and local sources said it was easy to access drugs in Chiang Mai.

- Paul Melia and Andrew Drummond

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/ir...gs-1339170.html

[londonthai]

When we got to Chiang Mai he went to a hospital and got some methadone."

It is understood Mr Black may have combined methadone with valium, which led to his death. Chiang Mai is a popular destination with backpackers.

Mr Black's family travelled to Thailand earlier in the week to arrange for his body to be flown home.

The couple had decided to travel around south-east Asia, and local sources said it was easy to access drugs in Chiang Mai.

not the best reporting - the couple were backpackers and went to south east asia and chang mai not for drugs. Accidental overdose of medicines is not common, but happens more often than we know

[dave111223]

A junky overdosed, how does this warrent a little next to the subject?

[bino]

Police said yesterday they had closed the file on the death of Elliot Blake (32)

Mr Black's family travelled to Thailand earlier in the week to arrange for his body to be flown home.

- Paul Melia and Andrew Drummond

not the best reporting

I agree. You woulda figured that Paul Melia and Andrew Drummond would get the guy's name correct. It is Blake or Black?

[britmaveric]

Sad, but not unexpected for a habitual drug user.

[john b good]

Sad, but not unexpected for a habitual drug user.

Yes !, and really who gives a toss.. If people want to get into drugs let them do it but for one I don't have time for too much of this sympathy stuff.

[Blinky Bill]

Sad, but not unexpected for a habitual drug user.

Yes !, and really who gives a toss.. If people want to get into drugs let them do it but for one I don't have time for too much of this sympathy stuff.

Once again JBG we agree on something. The only sympathy I feel is for the tormented family that these drug taking idiots create.

[Ping]

And despite all this, each day brings with it more young people who turn to illicit drugs. Crazy.

[lazeeboy]

take drugs expect to die ,its that simple

[KireB]

take drugs expect to die ,its that simple

What an absolute nonsense you guys are posting!

People take drugs to enjoy them and not to die.

This Irishman had a girlfriend and family back home who loved him. This is a terrible way to go, 10,000 km from home.

RIP to the family.

[Blinky Bill]

take drugs expect to die ,its that simple

What an absolute nonsense you guys are posting!

People take drugs to enjoy them and not to die.

This Irishman had a girlfriend and family back home who loved him. This is a terrible way to go, 10,000 km from home.

RIP to the family.

What absolute nonsense you are posting! He was just another loser!!

[Supaporn]

take drugs expect to die ,its that simple

What an absolute nonsense you guys are posting!

People take drugs to enjoy them and not to die.

This Irishman had a girlfriend and family back home who loved him. This is a terrible way to go, 10,000 km from home.

RIP to the family.

RIP to the family???

I would rather express my sympathy's for their loss - the dead guy.... RIP.

[Big A]

take drugs expect to die ,its that simple

What an absolute nonsense you guys are posting!

People take drugs to enjoy them and not to die.

This Irishman had a girlfriend and family back home who loved him. This is a terrible way to go, 10,000 km from home.

RIP to the family.

RIP to the family???

I would rather express my sympathy's for their loss - the dead guy.... RIP.

So, the reason for the apostrophe is....................?

[jdinasia]

Maybe it is just me ..... but isn't this right where the Australian guy killed the American guy last week?

[Blinky Bill]

Maybe it is just me ..... but isn't this right where the Australian guy killed the American guy last week?

The best way to avoid death in a war zone is stay away from American forces. Been a fact for many years in numerous theatres.

[howtoescape]

take drugs expect to die ,its that simple

What an absolute nonsense you guys are posting!

People take drugs to enjoy them and not to die.

This Irishman had a girlfriend and family back home who loved him. This is a terrible way to go, 10,000 km from home.

RIP to the family.

What absolute nonsense you are posting! He was just another loser!!

Well you are certainly giving yourself a greater opportunity of dying if you take methadone.

How do you know he was a loser, he had a gf and money to fund a trip round the world. I know someone who takes heroine that has a wife 3 kids lives, runs a successful business that employs 10 people far from a loser.

Furthermore you never know what leads people to taking these drugs in the first place.

[britmaveric]

^^STUPIDITY!!!!

[hgma]

just for the record............i dont like the words as "loosers and junk".

What is your defenition exactly of a "looser"?

mind you its a life, he had a mother and a father at one point.

i am sure they have welcomed their newborn just as any parant wil do.

Maybe he was a winner leaving Ireland and try to give up un smack.

but again if we , sorry I , talk about humans i rather not talk about "winners" "loosers or junk" for that matter.

maybee we find ourselfs on the wrong side of the rope one day you know!

condolances to his loved ones.

hgma

take drugs expect to die ,its that simple

What an absolute nonsense you guys are posting!

People take drugs to enjoy them and not to die.

This Irishman had a girlfriend and family back home who loved him. This is a terrible way to go, 10,000 km from home.

RIP to the family.

What absolute nonsense you are posting! He was just another loser!!

[garro]

I find the lack of sympathy for this young man's death to be disturbing. What callous and mean-spirited people post here on Thai Visa. People become addicted to different things with the biggest killer being alcohol. Many people go through stages in their lives of addiction yet go on to do great things with their lives.

A 23 year old dies and the people here say he got what he deserved. Who is the real low life? Most 23 year olds see themselves as invincible and do crazy things. Most get away with it.

[john b good]

I find the lack of sympathy for this young man's death to be disturbing. What callous and mean-spirited people post here on Thai Visa. People become addicted to different things with the biggest killer being alcohol. Many people go through stages in their lives of addiction yet go on to do great things with their lives.

A 23 year old dies and the people here say he got what he deserved. Who is the real low life? Most 23 year olds see themselves as invincible and do crazy things. Most get away with it.

I didn't say that he got what he deserved. (I realise that you might not have been pointing your finger at me in particular)

What I said was that I would not waste any of my sentiments on being sympathetic. He had the choice and it cost him his life.

"Nuff said"

[kmart]

A lot of people do their best work on drugs. Certainly most of the musicians / singers comprising your record collections were probably off their tits when they made those songs. It would be nice if the sanctimonious dullards condemning in here left their monitors for a moment and went and burned their record collections... Because the money they paid for those albums prolly went up someone's nose or arm.

The guy can't have been a hardcore junkie to leave his supplier to go on a trip overseas, or around the world. He was just "dabbling" probably. Got his dosage wrong is all. Guaranteed someone somewhere will do the same with alcohol / prescribed meds within the next couple of minutes.

[dave111223]

A 23 year old dies and the people here say he got what he deserved. Who is the real low life? Most 23 year olds see themselves as invincible and do crazy things. Most get away with it.

Garro; the article says he's 32, not 23 (I'm sure if he was 23 there would be slightly more sympathy...)

just for the record............i dont like the words as "loosers and junk".

What is your defenition exactly of a "looser"?

mind you its a life, he had a mother and a father at one point.

i am sure they have welcomed their newborn just as any parant wil do.

Maybe he was a winner leaving Ireland and try to give up un smack.

but again if we , sorry I , talk about humans i rather not talk about "winners" "loosers or junk" for that matter.

maybee we find ourselfs on the wrong side of the rope one day you know!

condolances to his loved ones.

hgma

Someone who ends up belly up in a guest house in Chang Mai from taking Methadone and Valium definitely falls into my definition of a "loser".

[garro]

Hi Dave111223, 32 or 23, doesn't matter much to me. He still could still have a full future in front of him. Who are you to judge that he was a loser? Who are you to put such a low value on another human life? You didn't know him. Who is the loser? This fella had friends and family and was likely loved. You obviously think that you have lived a blameless life. It is a pity that you haven't picked up some compassion along the way.

[britmaveric]

[sweetchariot]

just for the record............i dont like the words as "loosers and junk".

What is your defenition exactly of a "looser"?

Looser is what I used to do with my tie when I got home from work.

A loser is a druggie who takes junk.

I don't give a shit how they were deprived, had a sh1tty childhood, had a bad experience etc, etc. They are losers.

"They only take it to enjoy themselves"????

<deleted>, if they are that desperate for a bit of fun, then their life is obviously <deleted>, and they are probably better off dead. One less scumbag on the streets.

[KireB]

Someone who ends up belly up in a guest house in Chang Mai from taking Methadone and Valium definitely falls into my definition of a "loser".

Sympathy and or empathy are forms of intelligence!

[sweetchariot]

Someone who ends up belly up in a guest house in Chang Mai from taking Methadone and Valium definitely falls into my definition of a "loser".

Sympathy and or empathy are forms of intelligence!

Sorry, but being able to write a coherent sentence is a form of intelligence in my book, which you have failed to do.

[garro]

Someone who ends up belly up in a guest house in Chang Mai from taking Methadone and Valium definitely falls into my definition of a "loser".

Sympathy and or empathy are forms of intelligence!

Sorry, but being able to write a coherent sentence is a form of intelligence in my book, which you have failed to do.

Well judging by your last post, which I needed to read three times before I was able to understand it, this intelligence is beyond you.

[Shotime]

I wonder how many compassionate people who dismiss this kids life sit in a bar and drink alcohol all day?

[jdinasia]

Maybe it is just me ..... but isn't this right where the Australian guy killed the American guy last week?

The best way to avoid death in a war zone is stay away from American forces. Been a fact for many years in numerous theatres.

Put down the bottle and back away slowly!