Lover denies fatal drug injection

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The former boyfriend of Rachel Whitear, who died from a heroin overdose, has told an inquest he was not with her when she took the fatal dose.

The body of Rachel, 21, of Ledbury, Herefordshire, was found on May 12, 2000 in a crouching position on the floor of her bedsit in Exmouth, Devon.

Luke Fitzgerald admitted he had been involved in drugs with Miss Whitear.

But he told the hearing in Exeter: "I was not there. I was not directly responsible for Rachel's death."

'Challenging question'

Mr Fitzgerald has been giving evidence at the second inquest into Miss Whitear's death.

He was asked by Miss Whitear's mother Pauline Holcroft whether he loved her daughter and what his last memory of her was.

Mr Fitzgerald said it was a "very challenging question" and that he did not want to appear "heartless".

He said: "I know the last time I saw her was not pleasant. I was not happy with her, she was not happy with me."

He added: "The question did I love Rachel - I did not really know what love was."

Mr Fitzgerald told the inquest he had not been involved with drugs for five years.

He said the first he knew of Miss Whitear's death was when the police called him and he did not even know where his former girlfriend lived.

Mr Fitzgerald described as "lies" a previous witnesses statement from a former friend of his brother known only as "J", at the inquest, saying he was with Miss Whitear on the night she died and that he had telephoned his brother Simon Fitzgerald asking him to help cover up her death.

Second statement

In a statement Mr Fitzgerald told the jury that on May 9, 2000 he went to Exeter to buy £10 worth of heroin and when he returned he found a note from Miss Whitear saying she had found somewhere else to live.

Luke Fitzgerald said he met Miss Whitear from her work where she told him she wanted to start a new life.

But in a second statement he said he saw her the next day in Exmouth where she gave him £20 and walked off.

The discrepancy, he explained in the inquest, was because it was not a good time to be interviewed because of his lifestyle at the time.

The first hearing into Miss Whitear's death in December 2000 recorded an open verdict.

The death was reinvestigated by Wiltshire Police, Miss Whitear's body was exhumed to enable a post-mortem examination, and the High Court was granted leave for a fresh inquest to be held.

The inquest is due to end on Friday.