GUILTY UK - Helen Bailey, 51, Royston, 11 April 2016 #1

[Alyce]

12:12
[h=3]End of Dr Kahn’s evidence[/h]Under re-examination by the prosecution however, Dr Kahn added that if taken in quantities it is not meant to be taken in, then Zopiclone ‘doesn’t remain safe, like any other medication’.
“I have no idea whether Stewart took the Zopiclone tablets or not, like any other patient”, she said. “I’m now aware that Stewart was seen by one of my colleagues some time after this appointment, but I don’t know anything about that, and there was no further prescription of Zopiclone.”
That is now the end of Dr Kahn’s evidence.

BIB so pleased the Pros got that point across as it was clear from the PM that Helen had ingested considerable quantities of the drug.

 

[jessie]

I am prescribed Zopiclone 7.5mgs, I am also an RN and this is the first time I have heard it described as mild. Memory problems with increased dosages are well documented. I have taken more than the prescribed dosage on occasion and have woken the next day with no memory of the evening before. I cannot imagine anyone being able to take the tablet crushed as it is extremely bitter

I also am prescribed it, but 3.75 mg. I have taken it for nearly 10 years. It is short acting though, 6 hours I think. It won't knock you out immediately, it won't make you sleep 24 hours.

7.5 mg I consider a strong dose, imagine having that during the daytime !
It is cumulative also in the body.

All this he started planning months before Jan 2016 imo. I wonder what prompted it.

 

[lore1]

Maybe he went to a different pharmacy?

 

[jiminy]

I had Zopiclone many years ago. I agree with what others have said. It may not be 'heavy duty' in the grand scheme of pharmaceutical possibilities, but it does indeed knock you woozy pretty quickly. It's all fine and well for the GP to talk of it being safe and not especially strong but that's when taken as instructed at bedtime. I can't imagine trying to function normally in daytime having taken it.

 

[lore1]

Kate Bradbrook ‏@katebradbrook [video=twitter;819158762837737473]https://twitter.com/katebradbrook/status/819158762837737473[/video] Forensic toxicologist tells court sleeping drug would take around 4 weeks to show in hair samples as the case with Helen Bailey @BBCLookEast

 

[lore1]

12:28
[h=3]'Not possible to identify any quantity or any timescale if Zopiclone was administered'[/h]The next witness is Dr Mark Piper, who is now coming to the witness box.
Dr Piper is a toxicology manager. “My job is forensic toxicology related. We conduct all type of investigations from drink-drive cases with alcohol, through to more complex casework including postmortem examinations”, he tells jurors.
“Zopiclone is a sedative-type drug used for insomnia, it’s my role to identify the presence of that drug in sample types.
“Unfortunately it is one of those drugs that is not very stable, it does not stay in that state for a specific period of time. It breaks down quite quickly and the levels present in the biological sample may be reduced significantly by the time of analysis.
“The examination samples were taken on July 18, 2016. We would expect a decrease in the concentration of the drug over a period of time.”
There is the body samples found in Helen’s chest cavity fluid, liver, deep thigh muscle, and one sample from each of these locations were analysed, the court is told. From these samples, it is not possible to identify any quantity or any timescale if Zopiclone was administered.

 

[lore1]

Chloe Keedy ‏@ChloeKeedyITV [video=twitter;819158866256687104]https://twitter.com/ChloeKeedyITV/status/819158866256687104[/video] Forensic toxicologist Dr Piper tells court zopiclone 'not a very stable' drug - breaks down quickly + levels reduced over time

 

[lore1]

12:31
[h=3]Hair samples[/h]Dr Piper said: “With hair samples, Zopiclone takes four weeks to show. If ingested orally a drug is normally detected in the blood, then the liver, then the urine sample.
“If someone ingests Zopiclone, it will not be detectable in the majority of the population after a very short period of time - within the blood you’re normally talking within a number of days.
“However with the hair, the drug becomes embedded into the hair shaft. Every human head hair has a bulb with it’s own blood supply, and then the hair shaft. As the hair grows from the bulb any drugs in the body will be passing through the blood and will be incorporated into that hair shaft in small quantities. “That drug will stay in the hair shaft until it is cut off.”

 

[snoopydog]

Does anyone know when the first wife died?

:thinking:

I just checked and it was 25 June 2010. I think I was thinking the same thing as you!

 

[scandinavian girl]

I had to google zopiclone bcs I never heard of it. It seems that in Sweden it is the same thing as Imovane and I was prescribed that 10 years ago. I can´t recall a bad taste but I swallowed them whole nor any sideeffects. I do remember I fell asleep quickly and slept like a log for 10 hours.

 

[lore1]

Chloe Keedy ‏@ChloeKeedyITV [video=twitter;819161114860720134]https://twitter.com/ChloeKeedyITV/status/819161114860720134[/video] Court told level of zopiclone found in Helen Bailey's body consistent with therapeutic dose but may not be same level as at time of death

 

[lore1]

12:38
[h=3]'Zopiclone barely detected in tissue sample'[/h]Dr Piper said: “The body samples [from Helen’s body] were all analysed for drugs, each of them analysed for cannabis, cocaine, amphetamine - no drugs of this nature were found in these sample types.
“Each of these body samples were also analysed for prescription drugs - and Zopiclone was detected.
“In addition the chest cavity fluid was found to contain paracetamol. The level of this was low and negligible really - below the concentration you’d expect to have a therapeutic effect.
“With the zopiclone, it was barely detected in the muscle tissue sample [from Helen’s body] - it was a very low concentration. “The liver specimen detected a concentration found to be below a toxic level, to the point where it starts to have a negative effect on the body.”

 

[jiminy]

I'd also like to add that it's a drug that is used recreationally and can, I assume, be sourced fairly easily from street dealers just like Valium, codeine etc. I know I was offered money for my unused prescription to sell on. (I flushed it)

 

[lore1]

12:46
[h=3]'Hair sample shows drug ingested on more than one occasion'[/h]“Drug finds in hair have to be interpreted very carefully. What we can say is that if a drug is found over a given concentration, that it’s indicative or more than a single ingestion event, and that is what we have in this particular case.” The hair specimen was 35cm in length and analysed in four segments. This allowed us to concentrate on a timescale of early January 2016 through to early March 2016. “We have a three month time period here, so we can see if a drug has been administered over multiple occasions and what sort of time period. “The segment closest to the scalp had a significant concentration of Zopiclone present - as you move further away from the scalp the levels drop, but the drug was detected in all four segments of hair.”

 

[jessie]

It hasn't been mentioned anywhere as far as I know, but I wonder if Helen was taking some antidepressant meds as well?

Something often prescribed for grief so possible? Those together with day time Zopiclone would possibly make her almost zonked out, woozy etc. ? - OIMO. === I am thinking a contraindicated medications mix.

 

[lore1]

12:53
[h=3]'Zopiclone ingested more than once during three-month period'[/h]“There was a very small quantity of the drug in the scalp segment, but this was above the quantity of being a single one off event [of the drug being ingested].
“This piece of hair gives an indication that zopiclone has been ingested more than once during this three month time period.
“The findings would suggest that zopiclone has been ingested in more than one occasion, due to the concentration of the drug we detected.
“I cannot state or suggest quantities taken or dates taken other than this approximate [three month] time period.”

 

[Alyce]

It hasn't been mentioned anywhere as far as I know, but I wonder if Helen was taking some antidepressant meds as well?

Something often prescribed for grief so possible? Those together with day time Zopiclone would possibly make her almost zonked out, woozy etc. ? - OIMO. === I am thinking a contraindicated medications mix.

Hopefully if she was there will be a record.

As the PM has only indicated zopiclone ( so far ) I also wonder if it is possible that Helen was taking a low dose of this and IS realised if he increased her dose by using his supply of tablets, that would bring on the sleepiness and foggy mind very quickly.
Also, it would be quite smart of him to do that, as there would be no need to worry about the bitter taste. Helen would be used to that, if she took them herself.

 

[lore1]

13:00
[h=3]'Cannot confirm whether drug was taken by Helen knowingly or not'[/h]There are now questions from the defence.
Dr Piper admitted that he can’t confirm whether the drug was taken [by Helen] knowingly or not. Hair is assumed to grow at 1cm a month, that is the recognised average, jurors are told. Dr Piper has admitted that all his answers are based on the assumption that Helen Bailey died on April 11, 2016.

 

[lore1]

13:02
[h=3]Earlier sample could be ‘accidental infusion’[/h]A very low level of Zopiclone was found in Helen’s hair from early December 2015 - but this could be due to ‘accidental infusion’, he added.
There will now be a lunch break until 2.05pm.

 

[Alyce]

Thank you Lore for doing all the updates, much appreciated.