A STUDENT HIGH ON LSD FOR THE FIRST TIME PLUMMETED

A STUDENT HIGH ON LSD FOR THE FIRST TIME PLUMMETED 11 FLOORS TO

HER DEATH – THE DAY AFTER DISCUSSING SUICIDE WITH FRIENDS.

A GIFTED PHOTOGRAPHY STUDENT, JOANNA SAMOURKAS, 20, WAS IN THE

FIRST YEAR OF A THREE YEAR BACHELOR OF ARTS COURSE AT THE LONDON

COLLEGE OF PRINTING AT ELEPHANT AND CASTLE.

THE DAUGHTER OF WEALTHY GREEK PARENTS, SHE LIVED IN A SMART

BAYSWATER FLAT IN PEMBRIDGE SQUARE AND STARTED STUDYING AT COLLEGE IN

SEPTEMBER.

BUT HER MONEY DID NOT STOP HER LAPSING INTO DEPRESSION ABOUT

HER COURSE WOK, POLICE INSPECTOR ANTHONY MORRIS TOLD THE SOUTHWARK

INQUEST.

‘SHE WAS A VERY SENSITIVE PERSON WITH REGARD TO HER WORK,

ALTHOUGH SHE HAD CONSIDERABLE ABILITY.

SHE HAD HAD SOME DIFFERENCES

OF OPINION ABOUT HER WORK AT CHRISTMAS AND HER GRADES BEGAN

DETERIORATING.

‘BUT HER TUTORS WERE NEVER WORRIED THAT SHE WOULDN’T PASS THE

COURSE’, ADDED THE INSPECOTR.

JAMES DAVIES, A FELLOW STUDENT AND FRIEND, SAID JOANNA HAD

OFTEN DISCUSSED SUICIDE WITH HIM AND TALKED ABOUT ‘THE BEST WAY TO DO

IT’ THE DAY BEFORE HER DEATH ON MARCH 14 THIS YEAR.

‘SHE SAID ”THE BEST WAY WOULD BE TO JUMP OFF THE ROOF OF THE

LCP BUILDING”,’ MR DAVIES TOLD THE HEARING.

HE SAID SHE HAD ALSO TALKED ABOUT KILLING HERSELF BEFORE.

‘SHE SAID ”I WOULD JUMP IF ONLY I HAD THE COURAGE”,’ HE TOLD THE

COURT.

MF

CENTRAL/DRUGS.

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2

HE DESCRIBED JOANNA AS ‘ALIENATED FROM THE WORLD IN AN ARTISTIC

AND SPIRITUAL SENSE – SHE WAS VERY FRUSTRATED.

SHE WAS OFTEN

DEPRESSED FOR GETTING LOW GRADES AND ASSESMENTS’.

KATHERINA HOUPIS, ANOTHER FRIEND AND STUDENT, SAID THE DEAD

GIRL VISITED HER THE DAY BEFORE SAYING SHE WAS GOING TO TRY SOME

‘ACID’ FOR THE FIRST TIME.

HER BODY WAS SEEN BY A STUDENT LYING ON THE ROOF OF ONE OF THE

COLLEGE BUILDINGS.

SHE HAD FALLED 120 FEET FROM THE 14TH FLOOR OF THE

COLEGE BLOCK WHERE HER BELONGINGS WERE FOUND BESIDE AN OPEN WINDOW,

SAID INSPECTOR MORRIS.

CORONER SIR MONTAGUE LEVINE RECORDED AN OPEN VERDICT SAYING

THAT NO ONE ACTUALLY SAW HER CLIMB OUT OF THE WINDOW OR FALL.

THE INQUEST HEARD FROM PATHOLOGIST DR CHARLES NAYLOR THAT SHE

HAD ENOUGH LSD IN HER BLOOD TO BE HIGH AT THE TIME OF HER DEATH.

THE CORONER SAID: ‘PEOPLE WHO TAKE LSD SEE THINGS

IN TECHNICOLOUR AND SOMETIMES THEY GET THE FEELING THEY CAN FLY.

THE AMOUNT OF LSD SHE TOOK IS CONSISTENT WITH SOMEONE TAKING THE DRUG

FOR KICKS, BUT NOT ENOUGHT KILL HERSELF.

‘WE SHALL NEVER KNOW WHETHER SHE WAS IN THE STATE THAT SHE

WANTED TO SIT ON THE WINDOW LEDGE AND THEN FLY’.

ENDS

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