Coroner halts princess inquest

Pincess Leila was found dead in a London hotel

The daughter of the former Shah of Iran died after taking a cocktail of drugs, an inquest has been told.

Princess Leila Pahlavi, 31, took fatal doses of prescription drugs and cocaine after stealing prescriptions from the desk of her doctor, Westminster Coroner's Court heard.

The inquest has been adjourned so the GP, Dr Mangad Iqbal, can provide a full list of drugs he had prescribed for the princess during three visits this year.

Leila was found dead in her bed at the Leonard Hotel in west London on 10 June.

I want to know what she was prescribed for what purpose and what safeguards went into it

Coroner Dr Paul Knapman

Pathology tests showed she had taken fatal levels of the epilepsy and insomnia drug Seconal, as well as cocaine and pain killers.

The inquest heard the princess had a history of depression and eating disorders for which she had received treatment for all over the world.

Dr Iqbal, from the Brompton Medical Centre, west London, said Leila had visited him three times this year and he had given her prescriptions for various symptoms.

He said that on the third visit she had stolen prescriptions from his desk when he was out of the room.

Hearing adjourned

Two prescriptions were for her and the other three for other patients, he told the inquest.

The hearing was been adjourned by the coroner Dr Paul Knapman until 8 August.

He said: "I want to know what she was prescribed for what purpose and what safeguards went into it.

"As a result of the evidence given today there do seem to me to be a number of outstanding matters that need to be looked into."

The inquest was adjourned for two weeks.