Who was Simone White and how did she die? Brit lawyer poisoned in Laos with methanol laced alcohol

SIMONE White is the 5th tourer to person passed distant aft allegedly drinking escaped shots laced with deadly methanol during a vacation successful Laos. 

The British lawyer was among respective holidaymakers who became dangerously ill portion staying successful the fashionable edifice municipality of Vang Vieng. Here’s what we cognize astir Simone:

Who was Simone White?

Simone White was from Orpington, Kent.

The 28-year-old was an subordinate lawyer specialising successful exertion and intelligence spot astatine the London bureau of the American instrumentality steadfast Squire Patton Boggs.

After completing her A-levels astatine St Olave's Grammar School successful Orpington, she studied instrumentality astatine Newcastle University earlier taking the fast-track people astatine the BPP instrumentality school.

According to her Facebook page, she had studied overseas astatine the University of Groningen successful the Netherlands successful 2017.

What happened to Simone White?

In November 2024, Simone, on with different holidaymakers, were reportedly 'poisoned' astatine the Nana Backpacker Hostel successful the fashionable edifice municipality of Vang Vieng successful Laos.

At slightest 11 people, including Brits, stay successful infirmary aft allegedly being served laced drinks astatine a bar.

Australian pistillate Bianca Jones, 19, has besides died successful the horrific incidental alongside 2 Danish women successful their 20s and a 56-year-old American man.

Simone's friend, Bethany Clarke, a healthcare idiosyncratic besides from Orpington, took to the Laos Backpacking Facebook radical to pass different travellers.

She said: “Urgent — delight debar each section spirits. Our radical stayed successful Vang Vieng and we drank escaped shots offered by 1 of the bars."

Bethany continued: “Just debar them arsenic truthful not worthy it. Six of america who drank from the aforesaid spot are successful infirmary presently with methanol poisoning.”

She added that she was “very fatigued and past fainted, past conscionable felt nauseous and past my liver started to unopen down”.

She continued: “I got to the backstage infirmary successful clip but underwent galore infusions and tablets and days of recovery.”

She had been rushed to a infirmary successful neighbouring Thailand but could not beryllium saved. 

Her friend, Holly Bowles, besides 19, was with her that nighttime and remains successful the infirmary connected beingness support.

A Thai police authoritative told Reuters:  "The doc who examined her said the origin of decease was methanol poisoning, from fake liquor.

"The magnitude of methanol successful her assemblage was high, starring to swelling of the brain."

Governments successful Australia and Britain person antecedently warned travellers to workout caution with alcoholic drinks successful Laos. 

Methanol, a toxic alcohol utilized industrially arsenic a solvent, pesticide, and substance source, tin beryllium deadly erstwhile consumed, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Duong Duc Toan, the manager of the hostel wherever Bianca had stayed, confirmed that implicit 100 guests were served escaped shots of Lao Tiger vodka, mixed with crystal and Coke Zero. 

He insisted the intoxicant came from a certified distributor and had not been tampered with by staff. 

“Right present the constabulary [are telling] each hostel and edifice and barroom to halt selling drinks successful Vang Vieng," Toan told the Associated Press. 

He added successful an interrogation with the Australian broadcaster ABC: “The constabulary successful Vang Vieng and [the capital] Vientiane already came to the hostel to check, the store [where] we bargain the vodka, cheque the store [where] we bargain the whisky.

“We don’t bash thing wrong, for sure. I truly instrumentality attraction of each of the customers [who] enactment with our edifice and our hostel.”

Laos constabulary person launched an investigation into the alleged poisoning.

In response, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) issued an urgent warning astir counterfeit intoxicant successful the region. 

“Methanol has been utilized successful the manufacture of counterfeit replicas of well-known intoxicant brands oregon amerciable section spirits, similar vodka," the FCDO said. 

"You should instrumentality attraction if offered, peculiarly for free, oregon erstwhile buying spirit-based drinks. If labels, smell, oregon sensation look incorrect past bash not drink.”

Travellers are advised to lone acquisition intoxicant from licensed liquor stores, portion astatine licensed venues, and debar homemade alcoholic beverages.