State Coroner Mark Johns slams police investigation into heroin overdose death of Lucas Adam Pike

A coroner has criticised the “incompetent manner” of a police investigation into a man who fatally overdosed at a CBD doctor’s surgery.

A coroner has slammed the “slapdash and incompetent manner” police investigated the death of a man who overdosed at a CBD doctor’s surgery.

Delivering his findings into the death of Lucas Adam Pike, 43, who died from a heroin overdose, State Coroner Mark Johns said the 2016 investigation left him “with little confidence in the overall quality of coronial investigations by police”.

“The coronial investigation into Mr Pike’s death left a lot to be desired,” he said.

“No proper search was conducted of the surgery, and this is all the more concerning when one considers the unique nature of the circumstances.”

Acting Police Commissioner Linda Williams said she had the “utmost confidence in the professionalism and work ethic” of officers and it was disappointing Mr Johns “holds such a broach view about the quality of investigations”.

She said his comments would require careful consideration.

“We strive to provide a high level of service to the community of South Australia,” she said.

“If mistakes were made then we can and should learn from them, and just as importantly when good work is done it should be acknowledged.”

Mr Pike had been at the Hindley St clinic taking drugs with two other people, including Athena Kyriacou, who was the daughter of the doctor who ran the medical practice and also worked at the clinic as a phlebotomist.

Ms Johns said it was “likely that more information about the cause and circumstances of his death would have been ascertainable had a proper coronial investigation been carried out”.

He said a heroin overdose in a doctor’s surgery was “certainly no common occurrence” and police failed to properly search the surgery, or bins in the street outside and that while police took statements, “physical evidence was not diligently pursued”.

“One would hope that police officers would take serious approach to the investigation of a sudden unexplained death.” Mr Johns said.

SA State Coroner Mark Johns said the 2016 investigation left him “with little confidence in the overall quality of coronial investigations by police”.

He said police assumed the death was an overdose and did not consider more serious criminality was involved.

“No thought was given to whether a murder may have been committed for example,” he said.

In his findings, Mr Johns said Ms Kyriacou had met Mr Pike and another patient, Mark Campbell, at a nearby hotel where they had been drinking before they walked back to the clinic to use heroin.

Some time after Mr Campbell administered the heroin to the others he cried out “heroin, heroin” which alerted Dr Kerry, who went to the aid of his daughter and began CPR because of his “paternal instinct”.

He also believed Mr Pike was already dead, and that he could save his daughter who still had a pulse.

“I make no criticism of Dr Kerry for attending to his daughter first,” Mr Johns said.

He said Mr Campbell, who has since died in unrelated circumstances, had likely provided and administered the heroin to Ms Kyriacou and Mr Pike before attempting to hide any drug paraphernalia.

Mr Johns said he was allowed to walk around the scene for two hours while police were present, and was later found with Mr Pike’s phone.

He said there was “ample grounds” for a search of Mr Campbell and “probably grounds for his arrest and separation from the scene”.

Following Mr Pike’s death police found and seized heroin from another property, which resulted in a conviction.

Mr Johns made no recommendations.