The family of a ‘articulate and talented’ architecture student who passed away after taking ketamine on her first night of classes has vowed to “turn no stone” in their pursuit of information concerning her passing.
On October 3, 2020, Jeni Larmour, 18, from Newtonhamilton, Northern Ireland, passed away only hours after enrolling at Newcastle University.
She sniffed ketamine, a tranquilizer that is fatal when combined with alcohol, and was discovered dead in Kavir Kalliecharan’s chamber, according to evidence presented at Newcastle Coroner’s Court.
Mr. Kalliecharan, 20, previously related to the inquiry how Ms. Larmour, a classical vocalist and A* student, supplied the ketamine that led to her death along with a substantial quantity of alcohol.
Today, Newcastle coroner Karen Dilks declared that Ms. Larmour received the ketamine from “another.”
However, Ms. Larmour’s parents disputed what the court had informed by the witnesses.
Ms. Dilks gave Ms. Larmour’s death the label of “misadventure,” noting that it was brought on by “unintentional actions and situations.”
Kavir Kalliecharan, Jeni Larmour’s roommate, was criticized by her parents.
Sandra, Kavir’s mother, stated after the hearing: “I had to endure Kavir’s drug possession trial and hear blatant falsehoods against my daughter.
“I have had to hear that Jeni intentionally supplied these drugs to others while also using the poison that killed her.
I’ve always known that this is false, especially in light of the fact that Jeni and I had just taken a flight together from Belfast to Newcastle, which would have required her to bring the drug with her.
We have endured intolerable testimony throughout this inquiry, she continued.
“I feel like it’s my fault, I gave her too much,” and “I murdered her,” are just a few of the things Kavir’s flatmates overheard him say.
Even more blatantly, his flatmates overheard him claim ownership of the ketamine.
The fact that Kavir has never once apologized to us or made any kind of acknowledgment of what occurred that night may be what pains us the most.
We must now reflect on the coroner’s remarks and the inferences we have made from this process, including Kavir’s admission of moral culpability and the conduct of Northumbria Police, the spokeswoman said.
I will do all in my power to protect my daughter.
High-achieving student Ms. Larmour was not forced to take the drug, according to a Snapchat video filmed just before she ingested the deadly amount of ketamine, the inquest heard.
Ms. Larmour had captured the image of herself in Mr. Kalliecharan’s bedroom with a white powder on a table on her mobile phone, which witnesses had seen but which was not revealed in the court.
The video revealed no indication of Ms. Larmour or Mr. Kalliecharan persuading the other to take drugs, according to Andrew Metcalfe, a Northumbria Police acting detective sergeant at the time.
Approximately between 5 and 7 o’clock, Jeni and other pupils drank alcohol, according to Ms. Dilks.
Later that evening, while under the influence of alcohol and with poor judgment, she ingested an amount of ketmaine that had been given to her by someone else.
“The resultant repercussions of which contributed to her demise.”
Mr. Kalliecharan said on Tuesday that the substance made him very ill, causing him to throw up for hours before falling asleep. He claimed to have discovered Ms. Larmour dead and face down on his bedroom floor at approximately 5 in the morning.
Police looking into the death of Ms. Larmour discovered three different kinds of narcotics in Mr. Kalliecharan’s room along with weighing scales, a bundle of zip-lock bags, a vapourizer, and a cannabis grinder.
Ketamine, cannabis, and MDMA were discovered in his room when specialist search officers and police canines investigated the Park View halls apartment. He claimed the ketamine was not his, however.
Mr. Kalliecharan, a Leeds resident who claimed Ms. Larmour owned the ketamine, was not charged with providing it.
The day before, Ms. Larmour had arrived to the university after being dropped off by her mother Sandra, who had also taken her shopping before bidding her farewell.
The tragic news that Jeni had passed away from a suspected drug overdose was delivered to Mrs. Larmour, her husband David, and their son Daniel in the wee hours of the next morning.
The only person who was with her when she passed away was Mr. Kalliecharan, who was detained and brought out of the building in handcuffs.
He allegedly told his two roommates: “I murdered her, it’s my responsibility, what was I thinking?” according to two police reports. Likewise, “I feel like it’s my fault; I gave her too much,” was said.
In contrast, he said during a police interview that Ms. Larmour had created the ketamine and had used her driver’s license to carve out lines on a coffee table.
Ms. Larmour captured the event on Snapchat, where Mr. Kalliecharan can be seen pushing the pills about with a blade and telling her, “I’m going to show you how we do it in England.”
He testified to the inquiry that, rather than the drugs, he had been alluding to their university experience.
At the hearing, acting Detective Sergeant Andrew Metcalfe said that when Ms. Larmour was discovered dead on his room floor at 5.30 am, they inspected his possessions.
We discovered a washbag in a drawer of an integrated wardrobe, he continued.
“Within that, we discovered a little number of drug paraphernalia and a flask with a tiny amount of three different types of substances.”
Scales, self-sealing bags, and a cannabis grinder were present; these things were compatible with the usage of cannabis smoking.
Ketamine, MDMA, and cannabis were the substances discovered, and Mr. Kalliecharan was charged with possession but not supply.
In June, Newcastle magistrates gave him a two-year conditional discharge and ordered him to pay £85 in costs and a £21 victim surcharge.
Richard Wright, KC, Mr. Kalliecharan’s attorney, questioned him about why he told his roommate, “I feel like it is my responsibility, I gave her too much.”
She had taken too much, he said in response. I felt like I had handed it to her since I had claimed it was too much for me, therefore she had cut portion of my line into her line.
Did you coerce or threaten her into taking drugs, Mr. Wright questioned?
He said, “No. I experienced remorse and moral obligation. In a moral sense, I feel bad about what occurred.
Newcastle University’s academic registrar and director of student services, Lucy Backhurst, said Ms. Larmour’s death has caused the university to modify how it approaches drug problems among students.
“There was an emphasis on repercussions in the disciplinary process, but today we are much more focused on harm reduction and education, the signs and where to seek help,” the speaker stated.
She said that kids had not responded well to a “prescriptive, finger-wagging” approach to drug education and that it was “counter productive.”
In her laudatory remarks for Ms. Larmour, Ms. Backhurst noted that her previous headmaster at the Royal School Armagh had referred to her as a “articulate, accomplished ambassador.”
At the outset of her testimony, she addressed Sandra and David Larmour, the parents of Ms. Larmour.
Jeni was exactly the kind of intelligent, capable student we want studying with us at Newcastle University, according to Ms. Backhurst.
She said that Jeni’s chosen major, urban planning and architecture, was competitive and “not for the weak-hearted.”
She said that the institution required incoming students to complete an online introduction program that included information on alcohol and drugs.
However, she acknowledged that the message was difficult, and after the tragic death of Ms. Larmour, there was pushback when the vice chancellor sent students an email with a “stark” warning about the dangers of alcohol and drugs.
We had a lot of pushback from students who reportedly said things like, “Who do you think you are telling us what to do?” according to Ms. Backhurst.
It’s a balance,’ she said. Students must be aware of the risks, hazards, and warning signals, and we have worked very hard to attempt to promote awareness both before and after 2020.
Ms. Larmour was an exceptional classical singer and actress who also earned 10 GCSEs and four A* A levels.
She completed the Tall Ships Race across Great Britain, participated in charitable endeavors, and served as a Color Sergeant in the Combined Cadets army.
Lord Dannatt, the driving force behind the tall ships challenge and the former Commander in Chief of the British Land Forces, sent a letter of sorrow to her parents after her passing.
Jeni’s mother gave a heartfelt tribute to daughter at the hearing.
She said: “She was an unpretentious child with numerous abilities, which she took in stride. She lived an action-packed life.”
“I, her father David, her brother Daniel, and her extended family have all suffered a tremendous and immeasurable loss as a result of her death, which has left a gaping hole that can never be replaced.
She would have contributed much to Newcastle University and the planning and architectural fields, in my opinion.