Ben Cousins: I saw Chris Mainwaring cocaineSunday Herald Sun
March 21, 2010 A CORONIAL inquest has revealed the drug incident Brownlow medallist Ben Cousins witnessed on the night his mate, West Coast Eagles premiership player Chris Mainwaring, died.
Almost three years after Mainwaring died, the secret report leaked yesterday sets out for the first time the tragic chain of events that led to the death of the football star and Perth television identity on October 1, 2007.
The investigation by Western Australia State Coroner Alastair Hope found:
COUSINS saw Mainwaring with cocaine on a plate just hours before he died;
MAINWARING'S wife, Rani, had asked the Richmond star to do a welfare check on her husband during his drug-fuelled bender; and
RANI Mainwaring washed a quantity of cocaine down the sink before leaving the family's Cottlesloe home with the couple's two children.
Cousins spent the morning at a training session at Punt Rd Oval and used a side exit from the clubrooms to avoid waiting media.
His father and manager, Bryan Cousins, told the Sunday Herald Sun he was unaware the results of the coronial investigation had been made public.
"I've got no comment to make. I haven't read the article, and even if I had read it, I wouldn't make any comment anyway," Mr Cousins said from his farm.
But Ben Cousins's former girlfriend said Mainwaring's family did not want details of his drug-related death to be made public. Samantha Druce, who is also the best friend of Mainwaring's wife, Rani, said disclosures about the death were horrific and heartless.
She has made an impassioned plea to end speculation over the death for the sake of Rani and her two young children, Zac and Maddy.
"This is not what they want," Ms Druce said.
"They want Chris's legacy to live on in happy memories. It's unfortunate that we keep coming back to why Chris died and how.
"It's horrific and not fair." The Coroner's report found that Mainwaring, 41, died after a seizure caused by a cocaine overdose rather than a cocktail of different drugs.
"At one stage the deceased and Mr Cousins went into a bedroom where, according to Mr Cousins, he saw a quantity of a substance which he believed to be cocaine on a plate," Mr Hope reported.
"There was no evidence of any cannabis or ecstasy in the blood of the deceased.
"Toxicological analysis showed a markedly raised cocaine level in the blood of 7mg/litre. There was 50mg of cocaine in his stomach contents."
"Mr Cousins and his female friend left (Mainwaring's) home about 10.15pm. At the time the deceased appeared to be in good spirits and, according to Mr Cousins, he had no concern for him at all."
The report was written in 2008 but was released unofficially to a Perth newspaper. A spokesman for Mr Hope said copies of the findings had been officially released only to family members.
The findings told how Rani Mainwaring had discovered cocaine in their Cottesloe home before fleeing with their children.
Cousins, the former West Coast Eagles captain, visited Mainwaring's house twice on the day of his death.
On his second visit, about 7.30pm, he picked up takeaway food for dinner and was accompanied by a woman.
Cousins told police that at one stage in the night he went into a bedroom with Mainwaring where he saw a plate of cocaine.
An ambulance was called for the former footballer after a neighbour saw Mainwaring "behaving in a bizarre manner" near his home. At 12.36am, Mainwaring did not have a pulse and he died that night at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital.
Ms Druce, now engaged to millionaire Luke Wyllie, denied rumours that she was the woman who accompanied Cousins to Mainwaring's house.
"I was overseas," she said.
"I have no idea who the girl is. You'd have to ask Ben."
Two weeks after Mainwaring's death, Cousins had his own problems. He was arrested in Perth and charged with drug possession, but the charges were dropped.
He confessed he was battling drug addiction and admitted himself into an exclusive Los Angeles drug rehabilitation clinic.
The incidents eventually led to his sacking from the Eagles, but he thrived last year with a second chance at Richmond.
The latest developments topped off a shocking week for Cousins, whose pre-season preparations were hampered when he was admitted to Epworth Hospital in Richmond twice with a mysterious gastro-like illness.
Yesterday the Tigers were sticking by their gun recruit.
"The only thing we've got to say about that (the leaked Coroner's report) is Ben's been a great acquisition to this footy club. We're really happy to have him. He is fit and trained really well today. And we're looking forward to him playing this Thursday night," said Tigers football manager Ross Monaghan.
An AFL spokesman also refused to comment on the issue.
It is alleged the Coroner's findings were leaked after it was revealed Cousins had written a book detailing his battle against drugs and giving his take on Mainwaring's death.
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