Doctor warns of the dangers of buying caffeine online after a troubled 17-year-old killed himself with a fatal dose, inquest hears
- Damian Szarach was found dead in bedroom after buying the stimulant in bulk
- The 17-year-old had caffeine delivered to a friend’s house and said it was protein
- He lived at a children’s home in Hampshire and dreamed of being a police officer
- A Sexual Harm Prevention Order from 2013 prevented him from pursuing career
A doctor has warned against the dangers of buying of caffeine online after a 17-year-old ordered the drug and killed himself with a fatal dose, an inquest heard.
Damian Szarach was found dead in his bedroom just days after he bought the stimulant legally on the internet for £28.
A post-mortem found the teenager, who had dreams of becoming a police officer, had nearly four times the lethal dose of caffeine in his blood.
An inquest heard Damian left a suicide note which revealed his devastation at not being able to pursue a police career due to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).
It was also heard yesterday that Damian had the caffeine delivered to a friend’s house and ‘lied’ to them by claiming it was a protein supplement.
A doctor has warned against the dangers of buying of caffeine online after a 17-year-old ordered killed himself with a fatal dose, an inquest at Portsmouth Coroner’s Court heard
It comes just two weeks after an inquest into the death of university science student Sophia Benning, 24, heard she also committed suicide by overdosing on caffeine.
Dr Samantha Holden, a paediatric pathologist, questioned why the drug is so accessible, telling the inquest: ‘I’m not quite sure why it is available online.’
Portsmouth Coroner’s Court heard how Damian was found dead on March 6 at the children’s home he lived at in Hayling Island in Hampshire after taking caffeine.
At the time the emergency services, including firefighters in hazmat suits, rushed to Poppy Lodge and shut off part of the street over fears of a chemical substance.
A coroner heard Damian took his own life as he could not ‘develop social skills’ or find a girlfriend as he was subject to a SHPO.
He was sent to Poppy Lodge in 2015 at the age of 13 by Oxford County Council after being given the SHPO.
Troubled Damian wrote in his suicide note he decided to kill himself because of the order, which he said stopped him from pursuing his dream job as a police officer.
Team leader at Poppy Lodge, Lauren Fenton, said he was a ‘lovely and helpful boy’. She added: ‘He was very funny, he had goals.
‘He wanted to work in the police. He was saving up for a car, and would always ask the carers to help him find cars he could buy.
‘Damian was a big brother figure to the rest of the boys at the lodge as he had been there the longest.’
In his note Damian said it was a ‘rational’ decision, and said he loved his family, including his grandmother who lives in Poland and ‘he spoke to every day’.
Giving a verdict of suicide, coroner Lincoln Brookes said: ‘There is unchallenged and clear evidence that Damian Szarach took his own life.
‘He inhaled a lethal amount of a caffeine supplement. The strongest evidence lies with his note that he left in his bedroom, explaining that this was a rational decision.
‘He said he could no longer live with the restrictions of the sexual harm prevention order set on him, and the order would prevent him from becoming a police officer.