Girl Watched Helplessly On Skype As Man Slit Throat, Bled To Death In Delhi
London, Apr 17: On November 27 last year, Julie Zalinski sat in Oxford, UK and saw in horror on Skype her male partner Adrian Rowland slitting his throat and wrists in a flat 7,000 miles
London, Apr 17: On November 27 last year, Julie Zalinski sat in Oxford, UK and saw in horror on Skype her male partner Adrian Rowland slitting his throat and wrists in a flat 7,000 miles away in Delhi and slowly bled to death, reports Daily Mail.
An inquest on Tuesday heard Julie speaking for the first time the horrific experience of how she watched in horror as her partner killed himself in front of her - 7,000 miles away over the internet on Skype.
Julie Zalinski told the inquest how Adrian Rowland, her boyfriend of two-and-a-half years slashed his throat and wrists.
She could only watch helplessly for more than 10 hours as Adrian Rowland died from his wounds in India where he was abroad on business.
Panic-stricken she alerted the UK police who managed to contact the local authorities in Delhi but they were unable to help the 53-year-old after he refused to open his front door.
An inquest today heard that laws in India prevented the local police and paramedics from smashing their way into Rowland's flat and saving his life.
Instead he slowly bled to death in front of Ms Zalinski's eyes as she begged with her lover to get the help.
Today Ms Zalinski told how the tragedy unfolded on the fateful morning of Sunday November 27 last year, after she managed to contact him over the internet on Skype.
‘He was just in a complete state,' said a tearful Ms Zalinski from the witness stand.
‘He was sweating profusely and his eyes were just staring. ‘He kept saying ‘they are going to get me, they are going to get me'.'
She told the inquest in Oxford how she tried to calm him down but he became more agitated after suffering what the coroner described as a ‘major mental crisis.'
‘He said there were people in the room that weren't there,' said his traumatised partner.
‘I just kept reassuring him that nobody was there and that I was here for him. I told him that I wasn't going to leave him and would get help to him.'
A friend of Ms Zalinski's arrived at her home near Reading, Berks., and with her help Mr Rowland initially appeared to calm down.
‘He then just started to drift to another place again and just got up,' said Ms Zalinski.
‘He started bashing everything around in his flat. He walked into the kitchen, grabbed a glass and smashed it on the table - then stuck it straight into his neck.
‘At that point myself and my friend just looked at one another and ran from the bedroom where the computer was and didn't say anything to one another. We couldn't believe what we had just seen.'
Adrian, who had previously been employed as a manager at the Formula One racing firm, Jordan Grand Prix, had gone to India some three weeks earlier as a self-employed consultant in the automotive industry.
She told how he was emotional when he left but that he was going out there to enable him to build a future for them back in the UK.
‘He was very well thought of out there and was well looked after,' said Ms Zalinski.
‘But he really missed his boys and didn't like being away from the UK and me.'
The day before his death, Ms Zalinski told Oxford Coroner Nicholas Gardiner, Mr Rowland had behaved ‘strangely' telling her over Skype that he could not talk as he had people over for dinner.
She was initially pleased that he was socialising but this turned to worry when he indicated that she was being rude because his guests were already there.
Miss Zalinski told how Mr Rowland indicated that his guests were already seated at the empty dining table behind the computer camera.
However, she later received loving text messages from him and felt reassured.
The next morning he was ‘hysterical' when she first saw him on Skype, screaming that she would never see him again.
Police constable Victoria Blaszko arrived Ms Zalinski's home with a colleague and was confronted with the grainy Skype image of Adrian with a serious wound to his neck.
She told how her colleague convinced him to wrap a tea towel around his neck, while she assisted the force control room with the challenging task of raising the alarm in India.
The coroner heard that Mr Rowland was talking over the internet throughout, to the officers in Ms Zalinski's flat, but he was not making much sense.
Pc Blaszko told how she could hear over the internet that the local Indian police and paramedics had arrived outside Mr Rowland's front door but he refused to answer it.
‘He didn't believe it was the police, he thought it was the people who wanted to get him,' she said.
Pc Blaszko explained that the local Indian police and ambulance service did not have power of entry like their counterparts in the UK and could not force their way in and they eventually left the scene claiming that there was nothing they could do.
The coroner was told that help eventually reached Adrian 10 hours after the initial call to India. He was pronounced dead in hospital in Delhi.
A post mortem examination concluded that he died as result of excessive loss of blood after cutting the jugular vein.
In summing-up the evidence, Mr Gardiner said he had to accept that different countries had different legal systems and he had to accept that the local emergency services did not have the power to break their way into the flat.
‘I am quite satisfied that Mr Rowland injured himself and died as a result of those injuries,' he said.
‘But he was clearly going through a major mental crisis and I cannot go any further than that.'
He recorded a narrative verdict into Mr Rowland's death.
Speaking after the inquest Ms Zalinski told how she had been in a relationship with Mr Rowland, who she met through work, for some two-and-a-half years.
‘I loved him,' she said.
‘We both really loved each other. We were so happy together. It was taken away.
‘Only a month before his death I had been over there with him and we had visited the Taj Mahal - the palace of love.
‘He was full of life and always lived it to the full.
‘It was nothing to do with a row. We did not have an argument beforehand.'
Mr Rowland's best friend, Michael Pepper, added: ‘I never had a bad night with Adrian in all the years I knew him.
‘He just loved being the centre of attention and having fun. He always wanted everyone around him to be happy and have fun.
‘He really loved Julie and she really loved him. He was the happiest he had ever been.'
An inquest on Tuesday heard Julie speaking for the first time the horrific experience of how she watched in horror as her partner killed himself in front of her - 7,000 miles away over the internet on Skype.
Julie Zalinski told the inquest how Adrian Rowland, her boyfriend of two-and-a-half years slashed his throat and wrists.
She could only watch helplessly for more than 10 hours as Adrian Rowland died from his wounds in India where he was abroad on business.
Panic-stricken she alerted the UK police who managed to contact the local authorities in Delhi but they were unable to help the 53-year-old after he refused to open his front door.
An inquest today heard that laws in India prevented the local police and paramedics from smashing their way into Rowland's flat and saving his life.
Instead he slowly bled to death in front of Ms Zalinski's eyes as she begged with her lover to get the help.
Today Ms Zalinski told how the tragedy unfolded on the fateful morning of Sunday November 27 last year, after she managed to contact him over the internet on Skype.
‘He was just in a complete state,' said a tearful Ms Zalinski from the witness stand.
‘He was sweating profusely and his eyes were just staring. ‘He kept saying ‘they are going to get me, they are going to get me'.'
She told the inquest in Oxford how she tried to calm him down but he became more agitated after suffering what the coroner described as a ‘major mental crisis.'
‘He said there were people in the room that weren't there,' said his traumatised partner.
‘I just kept reassuring him that nobody was there and that I was here for him. I told him that I wasn't going to leave him and would get help to him.'
A friend of Ms Zalinski's arrived at her home near Reading, Berks., and with her help Mr Rowland initially appeared to calm down.
‘He then just started to drift to another place again and just got up,' said Ms Zalinski.
‘He started bashing everything around in his flat. He walked into the kitchen, grabbed a glass and smashed it on the table - then stuck it straight into his neck.
‘At that point myself and my friend just looked at one another and ran from the bedroom where the computer was and didn't say anything to one another. We couldn't believe what we had just seen.'
Adrian, who had previously been employed as a manager at the Formula One racing firm, Jordan Grand Prix, had gone to India some three weeks earlier as a self-employed consultant in the automotive industry.
She told how he was emotional when he left but that he was going out there to enable him to build a future for them back in the UK.
‘He was very well thought of out there and was well looked after,' said Ms Zalinski.
‘But he really missed his boys and didn't like being away from the UK and me.'
The day before his death, Ms Zalinski told Oxford Coroner Nicholas Gardiner, Mr Rowland had behaved ‘strangely' telling her over Skype that he could not talk as he had people over for dinner.
She was initially pleased that he was socialising but this turned to worry when he indicated that she was being rude because his guests were already there.
Miss Zalinski told how Mr Rowland indicated that his guests were already seated at the empty dining table behind the computer camera.
However, she later received loving text messages from him and felt reassured.
The next morning he was ‘hysterical' when she first saw him on Skype, screaming that she would never see him again.
Police constable Victoria Blaszko arrived Ms Zalinski's home with a colleague and was confronted with the grainy Skype image of Adrian with a serious wound to his neck.
She told how her colleague convinced him to wrap a tea towel around his neck, while she assisted the force control room with the challenging task of raising the alarm in India.
The coroner heard that Mr Rowland was talking over the internet throughout, to the officers in Ms Zalinski's flat, but he was not making much sense.
Pc Blaszko told how she could hear over the internet that the local Indian police and paramedics had arrived outside Mr Rowland's front door but he refused to answer it.
‘He didn't believe it was the police, he thought it was the people who wanted to get him,' she said.
Pc Blaszko explained that the local Indian police and ambulance service did not have power of entry like their counterparts in the UK and could not force their way in and they eventually left the scene claiming that there was nothing they could do.
The coroner was told that help eventually reached Adrian 10 hours after the initial call to India. He was pronounced dead in hospital in Delhi.
A post mortem examination concluded that he died as result of excessive loss of blood after cutting the jugular vein.
In summing-up the evidence, Mr Gardiner said he had to accept that different countries had different legal systems and he had to accept that the local emergency services did not have the power to break their way into the flat.
‘I am quite satisfied that Mr Rowland injured himself and died as a result of those injuries,' he said.
‘But he was clearly going through a major mental crisis and I cannot go any further than that.'
He recorded a narrative verdict into Mr Rowland's death.
Speaking after the inquest Ms Zalinski told how she had been in a relationship with Mr Rowland, who she met through work, for some two-and-a-half years.
‘I loved him,' she said.
‘We both really loved each other. We were so happy together. It was taken away.
‘Only a month before his death I had been over there with him and we had visited the Taj Mahal - the palace of love.
‘He was full of life and always lived it to the full.
‘It was nothing to do with a row. We did not have an argument beforehand.'
Mr Rowland's best friend, Michael Pepper, added: ‘I never had a bad night with Adrian in all the years I knew him.
‘He just loved being the centre of attention and having fun. He always wanted everyone around him to be happy and have fun.
‘He really loved Julie and she really loved him. He was the happiest he had ever been.'