[SSRI-Research] Cocktail of Drugs Given to 66 Year Old Millionairess: She Dies i

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Thu, 3 Aug 2006 16:50:51 -0700 (PDT)

[sSRI-Research] Cocktail of Drugs Given to 66 Year Old

Millionairess: She Dies in Fall: Leaves Her Estate to Psychiatrist:

England

 

 

 

[sSRI-Research] Cocktail of Drugs Given to 66 Year Old Millionairess:

She Dies in Fall: Leaves Her Estate to Psychiatrist: England

 

 

 

 

 

Paragraph 3 reads; " After her death, a stash of over 550 drugs was

found at her flat, including tranquilizers, sleeping pills and

anti-depressants, which experts for the police described as

" hazardous " and highly addictive. "

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=3976\

52 & in_page_id=1770

 

Psychiatrist 'inherited £1.5m after giving drugs to

millionairess'07:35am 26th July 2006

 

Reader comments (1)

 

 

Dr Peter Rowan (L) and Patricia May ®

 

A Priory hospital doctor persuaded a wealthy patient to change her

will, leaving him a £1.5 million legacy after prescribing her a

'hazardous' cocktail of drugs, an inquest was told today.

 

Mayfair millionairess Patricia May exchanged " kisses and cuddles " with

her psychiatrist Dr Peter Rowan and gave him £150,000 worth of " gifts "

in the months leading up to her death, it was alleged. When the

spinster died in hospital aged 66 after a fall at her Mayfair home,

the leading psychiatrist was named as the main beneficiary of her £2.2

million estate. Westminster Coroners Court was told that he had given

the former model and actress an assortment of powerful drugs over a

long period.

 

After her death, a stash of over 550 drugs was found at her flat,

including tranquilizers, sleeping pills and anti-depressants, which

experts for the police described as " hazardous " and highly addictive.

 

But Dr Rowan strongly denied the suggestion that the drugs prescribed

by him had caused the pensioner's fall in the bath in which she

fractured her rib and later died.

 

He also denied exerting any influence on his former patient to change

her will or give him cash gifts.

 

Friends claimed that the former debutante, who lived alone, had struck

up a bizarre relationship with the eating disorder specialist, who

works at the clinic made famous by a host of celebrity patients.

 

The inquest heard Dr Rowan had treating Miss May for anorexia over a

16 year period.

 

But she was said to have become " infatuated " with the private doctor,

who is married with two children, during regular nighttime

consultations after Dr Rowan finished his clinic at his Sloane Street

office.

 

Her close friend, Milagros Golding told the court: " Patricia was

totally infatuated by him and spoke about him the whole time. "

 

She added: " Patricia told me she was thinking about her will and Dr

Rowan suggested writing a new one and leaving everything to him and

some money to friends. "

 

Following her death on March 9, 2003 at Chelsea and Westminster

Hospital, a police investigation was launched after the executor of

her will, Julie Francis, reported concerns about their " more than

platonic " relationship.

 

Apart from £600,000 left to friends, the rest of her estate, including

her £700,000 Mayfair flat was left to Dr Rowan.

 

Her carer Kathy Ashun told the court: " I asked her whether they were

lovers or what, she said 'Oh no, just some kissing and cuddling'.

 

" I said to her, 'Do you think that he'd be interested in you if you

did not have any money and she said 'That's what I am worried about.'

I was quite shocked by what she said. " Though police decided in April

this year there was insufficient evidence to bring charges against Dr

Rowan, in a highly unusual step they recommended the case to the Home

Secretary who ordered an inquest.

 

At the time of her death, hospital doctors had not been made aware of

her medication and therefore no inquest or post-mortem was held into

the death, said to have been caused by a combination of the fractured

rib, a pulmonary embolism and pneumonia. In addition the inquest was

told that the hospital doctors who signed the death certificate were

unable to be traced.

 

The court was told that Dr Rowan first met Miss May in 1987 when she

weighed just over five stone, through a family friend following the

death of her property magnate father Philip from prostate cancer.

 

Psychiatrist experts consulted by the police criticised Dr Rowan for

prescribing " hazardous " doses, failing to make notes at the time and

failing to alert her GP to his prescriptions.

 

The hearing was also told that though Miss May suffered breathing

problems, pills prescribed by Dr Rowan suppressed her respiratory

system. But the doctor who formally worked at St George's Hospital in

London, claimed that he was acting in her best interests and was

unable to consult her GP on Miss May's instructions.

 

He said: " I never at any stage used any influence on Patricia to give

me either gifts or to leave me things in her will.

 

" I personally had no reason to believe that she was infatuated, of

course I knew she was fond of me and of course we had a close

relationship over 16 years in which I counselled her and did my best

to help her.

 

" I still think that the clinical judgement taken was correct, with

respect to her well-being and her health. I think it's extremely

unlikely that it played any significant part in her end. "

 

Westminster Coroner Dr Paul Knapman adjourned the hearing until next

month.

 

Add your comment Reader comments (1)Here's what readers have had to

say so far. Why not add your thoughts below?

 

My thoughts, unethical and rather odd. If I was a member of the family

I would challenge it in court.