From National Nine News
Cruise mum drugged, raped: inquest
Thursday Mar 9 19:29 AEDT
A Brisbane mother was stupefied and sexually assaulted by fellow cruise passengers who considered throwing her body overboard after she died in their room, a Sydney inquest was told.
Mother of three Dianne Brimble, 42, set out on the holiday of a lifetime aboard the P&O cruise ship Pacific Sky on September 23, 2002.
The following morning she was found dead, apparently of an overdose of the date rape drug gamma-hydroxybutyrate, otherwise known as GBH or fantasy.
Mrs Brimble's body was found in a cabin belonging to four men she had met at a disco on the ship the previous night.
The court was told police had found explicit photos of at least one of the men engaging in sexual acts with Mrs Brimble shortly before her death.
According to police witness statements, one of the men who was staying in the room told another cruise passenger that "some shit went down last night", and that a woman had died, naked on the floor of their cabin.
He said the men had tried to carry Mrs Brimble back to her cabin but "there was too much traffic around".
According to the witness statement read to the court, the man went on to say they were going to throw her body overboard, but faced the same problem.
They had tried to give Mrs Brimble mouth to mouth before telephoning the ship's medical emergency number, the witness said.
Medical staff pronounced Mrs Brimble dead a short time later.
Counsel assisting the coroner, Ron Hoenig, told Glebe Coroner's Court Mrs Brimble died in "absolutely reprehensible circumstances".
"The evidence will clearly show Mrs Brimble was killed," Mr Hoenig told the court.
"(She was) preyed upon by some people, having had administered to her a substance that broke her will or interfered with any ability of her to say yes or no."
Mr Hoenig read from statements from family and friends of Mrs Brimble, who said the Brisbane woman considered sex a private matter that was an intimate thing between her and her partner.
"She would never entertain the idea of involving herself in any perverse, deviate or experimental sex," Mr Hoenig said.
Others who said they had been close to Mrs Brimble, including her de facto husband of 15 years, David Mitchell, gave evidence to the court.
They all said Mrs Brimble was a devoted mother and a very moral person who did not approve of promiscuous sex or drug taking.
An ex-husband, Mark Brimble, represented family at the inquest and asked questions of witnesses.
Mr Hoenig said the court would hear evidence from other passengers from the cruise who said the men implied they earned a living from drugs and bragged about bringing drugs onto the ship.
GBH, the illegal drug apparently given to Mrs Brimble, interferes with the body's central nervous system.
It can cause the body to shut down and can be fatal if used in conjunction with other drugs, including alcohol.
Mr Hoenig said the men linked to Mrs Brimble's death also had apparently told passengers a coroner's report had cleared them of any wrongdoing.
They also reportedly said the captain of the liner had apologised to them and offered them a free cruise.
Meanwhile, Depute State Coroner Jacqueline Milledge ordered the subpoena of interviews with Mrs Brimble's family recorded for an upcoming episode of Australian Story.
The inquest continues on Friday.
©AAP 2006