Cian English found with potentially lethal amount of ecstasy after fall from Surfers Paradise balcony

Cian English was found with a “potentially lethal” amount of the drug ecstasy in his system after his death, a court was told.

Cian English was found with a “potentially lethal” amount of the drug ecstasy in his system after his death, a court was told.

The 19-year-old died after he had been partying with a group at the Pacific Apartments in Surfers Paradise on May 23, 2020.

Police allege the group made Mr English fear for his life to the point where he ran to the balcony and fell 10m to his death.

Hayden Paul Kratzmann, Lachlan Paul Soper-Lagas and a woman who cannot be named as she was a juvenile at the time are facing a murder committal hearing in the Southport Magistrates Court over Mr English’s death.

Jason Ryan Knowles and another juvenile have already been committed to stand trial in the Supreme Court.

Cian English from Brisbane who fell from a balcony on the Gold Coast. Picture: Supplied

The five have all been charged with multiple offences including murder, torture and deprivation of liberty.

Queensland Health forensic pathologist Dr Bianca Phillips was questioned about the drugs found in Mr English’s system, including a high level of MDMA.

“It is at a level that is potentially lethal and has been associated with deaths in the past. However, it’s in an overlapping range so it also falls into a not toxic and toxic range as well,” she said.

Dr Phillips said other drugs found in his system included benzodiazepines, codeine and alcohol.

Hayden Kratzmann is one of a group of five charged with the murder of Mr English.

Earlier on Tuesday, the court was told police found a number of drugs in the Brisbane apartment where they arrested Kratzmann – days after Mr English’s death.

Queensland Police homicide Detective Sean Hannant told the court police went to an apartment in Albert Towers, Brisbane in the early hours of May 24, 2020 after discovering Kratzmann and four others were there.

They did not get a search warrant.

“We drove straight to that address because we believed evidence of commission of the murder and any delay would have caused the potential loss or destruction of evidence,” Det Sgt Hannant said.

He told the court that while conducting a search there police found a number of prescription drugs including Valium and Xanax.

Despite the large number of drugs Det Sgt Hannant could not recall if Kratzmann was showing signs of being intoxicated.

He also could not recall if he asked Kratzmann if he was intoxicated.

Det Sgt Hannant took Kratzmann to the watchhouse where he was interviewed by other police officers.

Lachlan Soper-Lagas has also been charged with the murder of Mr English.

He does not recall if he told those officers about the large number of prescription drugs at the unit.

On the first day of the committal hearing held in October last year, a recording of the police interview with Kratzmann was played.

In that interview he told police he was schizophrenic.

During the same interview Kratzmann was asked if he was OK, to which he responded: “Nah, I feel like I am losing my f***ing mind. I have been off my medication for some days.”

The committal hearing has been adjourned to a date to be fixed so that written submissions can be filed.

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Originally published as Cian English found with potentially lethal amount of ecstasy after fall from Surfers Paradise balcony