Police hunt supplier of 'poison' diet pills that killed teen rugby star

 
Tragic loss: Chris Mapletoft
Dan Obrien16 September 2013

Police are searching for the supplier of the “poison” diet pills that killed a promising rugby player from one of the country’s top independent boys’ schools.

Chris Mapletoft, 18, died from overheating after taking a toxic chemical marketed online as a slimming aid, an inquest has ruled.

The death of the teen, who was in his final year Hampton School in Twickenham, west London is the third in the country to be linked with 2,4-dinitrophenol in the last 12 months. The chemical, which is known as DNP and used in pesticides and food dye, is believed to have been behind 16 deaths in Britain the past decade.

DNP was originally launched as a slimming aid but banned in 1938 because of its damaging side effects, which include nausea, cataracts, skin lesions and rapid or irregular heartbeat. It is illegal to sell for human consumption, but is widely available on internet sits for just $3.50 (£2.20) per capsule.

Chris, who lived with his parents and younger sister in Twickenham, was a star player in Hampton’s 1st XV rugby team and had recently finished his A-Level exams. Following the death his school learnt that he had achieved the grades he needed to study for a business degree at a London university.

On Wednesday the school hosted a memorial rugby game against his former side, the Teddington Colts.

Headmaster Kevin Knibbs, said: “He was a sportsman certainly but he was also a very serious academic too and, most importantly of all, and this is top of our list, he was a fantastic guy, much loved and greatly respected here by all of us, staff and pupils.”

Chris, who became unwell on the morning of June 18 and died later that day, was originally believed to have contracted meningitis. However an inquest held last week at west London coroners’ court in Fulham, found the cause of death to be DNP toxicity and returned a verdict of accidental death.

The Metropolitan Police said it was investigating where he got hold of the chemical.

It added: “It is a poison which interferes with the normal way the body gets energy from fat. This can lead, as in this tragic case, to death from overheating.”

The tragedy has renewed concerns about the availability of the illegal diet pills online, combined with the pressure to aspire to the body image of sports stars and other celebrities.

In September last year Sarah Houston a 23-year-old Leeds University medical student, who was being treated for anorexia and bulimia, died after taking a combination of prescription anti-depressants and DNP. Since then father-of-one Sean Cleathero, 28, from High Wycombe and student Sarmad Alladin, 18, from Epsom, Surrey have also died after taking the drug.

Mr Knibbs said Hampton School was attempting to prevent further tragedies by educating its students on positive body image and safe internet use.

Mapletoft’s family have declined to comment.

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