- Engineer and rugby player Freddie Dibben was found in his bed by his father
- He died after taking Clenbuterol, used to treat asthma and used by bodybuilders
- His parents had no idea the ‘fit and healthy’ 28-year-old bought drugs online
A rugby player was found dead in his bed after taking a lethal stimulant drug he bought over the internet, an inquest heard.
Freddie Dibben, who played for Ellingham and Ringwood Rugby Club in Hampshire, was found dead by his father after taking the drug Clenbuterol.
The 28-year-old, who was described as ‘fit and healthy’, took the drug alongside a number of anabolic steroids he had been ordering online.
Freddie Dibben was found dead in his bed by his father after taking the drug Clenbuterol
Freddie went to the gym daily and had protein shakes for a number of years but his parents had no idea that he had been ordering drugs online, Winchester Coroner’s Court heard.
Freddie played prop for the third XV at Ellingham and Ringwood Rugby Club in Hampshire, for eight years, fitting in training around his shift work a an engineer.
He had taken Clenbuterol, a stimulant drug normally used to treat problems such as asthma and commonly used by bodybuilders.
Pathologist Dr Victoria Eliot gave Mr Dibben’s cause of death as dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition in which the heart’s ability to pump blood decreases due to an enlarged and weakened valve.
She said: ‘These drugs have some benefits – in inverted commas – in terms of physique but also have side-effects which can affect the heart.’
Mr Dibben’s cause of death was dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition in which the heart’s ability to pump blood decreases due to an enlarged and weakened valve
Recording a conclusion of misadventure, Coroner Grahame Short said: ‘Young men in particular are keen to improve their physique and some resort to steroids which is a quick and easy way to put on weight and enhance muscles.
‘Prior to his death Freddie was a fit man with no medical conditions.
‘I think this case reflects how dangerous these drugs are.’
Following the inquest, his mother Lorraine said: ‘Freddie was an intelligent lad.
‘He wasn’t stupid but he thought he was in control.
‘We want to inform other young men to make sure they don’t go down this route.
‘These drugs will damage your heart in such a way that you cannot undo.
‘The risks are just not worth it. If we could save one man, it would be worth it.’