Wrotham: Peaches Geldof Inquest

An inquest at Gravesend Old Town Hall has heard that Peaches Geldof was a heroin addict who had been taking the substitute drug methadone in the two and a half years before her death.

The journalist, model and television presenter had started using heroin again in February this year, her husband, Thomas Cohen, told the hearing.

And he had witnessed her flushing drugs she had hidden in the loft of their home in Wrotham, down the toilet.

The 25-year-old was found slumped on the bed in the spare room by Mr Cohen, with one leg hanging down to the floor and the other tucked underneath her after she failed to answer the phone.

The musician confirmed that he had gone to stay with his parents in south east London with the couple's two sons, Astala, two, and one-year-old Phaedra, and that she had seemed fine when he spoke to her on several occasions over the weekend.

The inquest heard that Mr Cohen's father, Keith, had seen Ms Geldof when he dropped the younger child home to her and she appeared fine, and Mr Cohen said he had last spoken to his wife at 5.40pm on Sunday April 6.

After failing to get hold of his wife the next day, Mr Cohen and his mother returned to the property with Astala and found Ms Geldof's body, the hearing in Gravesend was told.

The model had been having weekly drugs tests which she had told her husband were negative but, even though he had not seen her take drugs, he became concerned that she might be, the inquest was told.

North West Kent Coroner Roger Hatch said Ms Geldof had been finding it difficult to come off methadone although she was reducing the dosage because she did not want to take it any more.

Mr Cohen had spoken to his wife about her drugs use and she retrieved heroin from the loft in February this year and flushed it down the toilet, the inquest was told.

Following this, Mr Cohen would check the loft for drugs himself but found nothing, Mr Hatch said.

But Mr Cohen became aware from police inquiries following her death that drugs were found in the house.

A post-mortem examination carried out at Darenth Valley Hospital found a puncture mark on the front of her right elbow and another at the front of her right thigh.

Old puncture marks were also found on her left thigh, the inquest was told.