Ketamine led to death of Gaydar founder

By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk • April 20, 2007 - 11:05

Mr Frisch, originally from South Africa, established Gaydar with his business partner and then-boyfriend Henry Badenhorst in 1999.

1 Comment on Ketamine led to death of Gaydar founder

A London coroner's court has heard evidence about the death of Gary Frisch, who co-founded gay meeting site Gaydar.

Mr Frisch died in February aged 38.

It emerged in court yesterday that under the influence of the drug ketamine he leapt from the balcony of his eight-floor Battersea apartment.

Mr Frisch, originally from South Africa, established Gaydar with his business partner and then-boyfriend Henry Badenhorst in 1999.

The dating service now has 3.5 million users worldwide.

Westminster coroner's court heard evidence from a man who was in the apartment with Mr Frisch when he jumped.

"I saw him standing on the balcony with his hands on the rail. He somersaulted over the top," said Darren Morris.

He said Mr Frisch had stayed up the night before taking ketamine and drinking.

An eyewitness told the court that he heard Mr Frisch say "wahey" as he fell.

Dr Peter Wilkins, a pathologist, said raised levels of ketamine were found in Mr Frisch's blood and liver.

It is thought that Mr Frisch, who was receiving medication and was seeing a clinical pyschologist. The death of his mother last year had affected him badly.

"Mr Frisch had not yet reached 40, he was successful and popular but died as a result of drug use," the coroner Dr Paul Knapman, said, according to localguardian.co.uk

"This is not suicide at all, it is a man who was under the influence of drugs which had affected him in such a way that he probably did not know what was going on."

The death was recorded as misadventure.

The verdict came on the day that the Metropolitan Police LGBT Advisory Group appealed to members of the community to speak to them about the increase in serious sexual and physical assaults, deaths and overdoses associated with gay venues.

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