Diet Pill Victim Predicted Her Own Death

A student sent a text saying "I think I am going to die" after taking lethal drugs advertised as diet pills, an inquest heard.

Eloise Parry died four hours after sending the message to her university lecturer.

The 21-year-old managed to drive herself to hospital after typing that she was "sorry for being so stupid".

But her fateful message, sent after she had taken eight unlicensed tablets containing dinitrophenol (DNP) that she bought online, proved tragically accurate.

Miss Parry's death helped prompt a global alert from Interpol over diet pills .

An inquest in Shrewsbury heard that Miss Parry had a history of bulimia.

Her text message, sent to a lecturer at Glyndwr University in Wrexham, said: "I screwed up big time. Binged/purged all night and took four pills at 4am.

"I took another four when I woke and I started vomiting soon after. I think I am going to die.

"No one is known to survive if they vomit after taking DNP. I am so scared."

Miss Parry, who was on course for a first in childhood and family studies, continued: "I am so sorry for being so stupid.

"Thank you for everything. I never deserved it. Please pass on my absolute appreciation for all that you have done for me.

"Thank you more than words. Ella."

The inquest heard that Miss Parry, who lived in a flat in Shrewsbury, searched the internet to find out the dangers of DNP after buying the pills.

Following her death, her mother Fiona Parry used an interview with Sky News to urge others not to buy the "fat burning" pills .

"My message would be please don't take this drug, it is an awful way to die," she said.

"They cause you to overheat, they cause your kidneys to fail, they are dreadful things.

"I wouldn't wish this on anybody."

A police investigation is continuing to establish who supplied the tablets.

Shropshire Coroner John Ellery ruled that the death was accidental.

He will now write to the government urging a review of DNP.

"This is something I am going to raise with the appropriate minister," he said.

"This is clearly a dangerous, toxic and fatal substance which should not be accessible, certainly not to persons seeking unlicensed non-prescribed medication.

"I am satisfied and endorse the actions taken by the police and the multi-agencies - they are actively pursuing this on a national and international basis.

"I (will) write simply to give additional weight to that. It is for the minister to consider whether dinitrophenol should be a classified substance."