Armagh student Jeni Larmour (18) died from lethal mix of alcohol and Ketamine

Jeni Victoria Larmour (18) from Newtownahamilton was found lifeless lying on her face in her halls of residence at Newcastle University shortly after 5.30am on October 3, 2020.

Her flatmate Kavir Kalliecharan, who she had been partying with the night before, made the discovery after he passed out while vomiting in the toilet of the shared Park View accommodation.

The inquest was told he said, “it’s my fault, I’ve given her too much” after alerting other occupants in a bid to help Jeni.

Mr Kalliecharan said he felt a sense of guilt because he had refused to snort the line Jeni cut for him during his first experience with Ketamine.

He denied supplying the drugs, insisting that Jeni had brought “two small zip bags” to his room after he went to the toilet while she fetched her ID.

The witness claimed he passed out after the pair snorted lines off his desk.

“She was holding two bags and said one had Ketamine in it,” Mr Kalliecharan said.

“She asked if I would like to have some.”

He continued: “I inhaled it through my nostril – covering one nostril with my finger and using the other to sniff the powder.”

“She [Jeni] inhaled it as well.”

The witness said he had never taken Ketamine before, so cut a chunk off his line which was added to Jeni’s line.

Mr Kalliecharan said he he became “extremely dizzy” and went to the toilet to vomit for several hours before he passed out.

He said Jeni was lying on her bed with her mobile phone before coming to make sure he was okay.

Mr Kalliecharan said the next thing he remembers is waking up around 5am.

“She [Jeni] was in my room face down on the floor – I tried to wake her up,” he recalled.

Mr Kalliecharan said he went to wake up other students telling them he thought “she was in a k-hole” before emergency crews arrived and he was taken by police to hospital.

The inquest was told that a Snapchat video recorded on Jeni’s smartphone shows the pair standing over lines of Ketamine which, according to the witness, were cut by Jeni who used her provisional driving licence.

It also shows Mr Kalliecharan holding a blade which he accepted could have been his pen knife used for “packing tobacco and cannabis”.

The witness claimed he used the item to move his cut closer towards him after Jeni laid it out.

However, there is a dispute over the audio in the video which captured Jeni saying “F*** that!”.

Her family’s representative claims the expletive is followed up with: “I’m not doing two lines, I’m only doing one.”

But the witness claims Jeni said: “I’m not doing it in two lines, but one.”

The former roommate of the deceased was unable to explain why Jeni would have made the remark if she was the one cutting the lines.

Mr Kalliecharan categorically denied laying out the lethal substance but when asked if he felt he bore moral responsibility for her death, he responded: “Yes.”

When asked how he knew what to do if it it was is first time taking Ketamine the witness claimed Jeni had told him to “just sniff it”.

Mr Kalliecharan was also quizzed about why he said to Jeni “I’m going to show you how we do it in England” if it was his first time.

The 20-year-old recalled the mood in the eight-bedroom flat where seven students were pre-drinking on October 2 before heading into the city centre as “happy”.

“Everyone was excited to get to know each other.”

The ex-student, who was initially arrested on suspicion of supplying the drugs before it was downgraded to personal possession, said he had consumed three pint glasses of vodka and mixer and a shot of Sambuca before leaving the flat.

“I was drunk,” he said. “They all seemed drunk as well.”

Mr Kalliecharan he accompanied Jeni back to their residence after she was turned away from a club because she had forgotten her ID.

It was when he went to his own room to go to the toilet that he claims Jeni showed up with the drugs.

Mr Kalliecharan claimed he was unaware of the fact that drugs could cause serious harm or result in an overdose.

His evidence came after a forensic pathologist revealed Jeni was 2.5 times over the drink driving limit and had a “high” amount of Ketamine in her blood at the time of her death.

Dr Nigel Cooper said she was confirmed dead at 5.59am and that paramedics made no attempt to resuscitate the teenager as “fixed discolouration” indicated she had been dead for a number of hours.

He told the inquest that 197mg of alcohol was detected in Jeni’s blood which is two-and-a-half times the drink driving limit (80mg).

The expert also said toxicology reports show that 1.3mg of Ketamine was also present which he described as “high” suggesting “a significant amount” had been taken.

“But below the range of values where death has been attributed to Ketamine alone,” Dr Cooper added.

He said the effects of the drug were likely exaggerated by the alcohol, which combined, would have depressed Jeni’s central nervous system.

“Ketamine alone would probably not have caused her death,” Dr Cooper said.

The witness confirmed no other drugs were detected as he emphasised there is no way to measure a fatal dose of either substance — especially alcohol.

“Levels of over 1,000 have been survived, and levels of 300 have killed,” he explained.

Dr Cooper also told the inquest that there were no suspicious injuries anywhere on Jeni’s body with the exception of a minor graze and scratch on her knees.

He said the fact she was lying face down potentially contributed to her death as the position can limit breathing, especially if other issues are compromising consciousness.

“Her lungs were filled with blood and there was froth in her airways,” Dr Cooper said.

“[It is] often seen in individuals who have died from the effects of one drug or the other.”

The tragedy unfolded just a day after the Jeni’s mum had dropped her off to commence an architecture course.

Earlier, Sandra Larmour paid tribute to her high achieving daughter, saying she flourished The Royal School Armagh "with her huge personality, confidence and humour".

The A* student was popular with pupils, teachers and parents alike, she was a trained classical singer and a leader with the school's cadet force.

Watched by Ms Larmour's father, David Larmour, Mrs Larmour said their daughter raised funds for a school trip to India and it was the moving experience of seeing the New Delhi slums which made her choose her architecture and planning degree.

Her mother said: "Jeni's bag was always packed and I am proud she had a varied experience of life in her limited years."

Mrs Larmour said there were "no half measures" and her daughter was a "do it now and do it to perfection person".

She added: "Her death has left a huge void that will never be filled.

"It is a huge loss to me, her father David, brother Daniel and our extended family.

"I also believe it is a huge loss to Newcastle University and the planning world she would have joined."