Suicide of Scottish playboy who plotted to blackmail Royals over ‘gay sex scandal’
A PLAYBOY conman who tried to blackmail a member of the Royal Family for £50,000 over a gay sex scandal died after taking a cocktail of drugs, an inquest has heard.
Ian Strachan had attempted to take his life several times in the past but appeared to be back to his normal self the day before his suicide.
But he was found dead at his plush flat in Marylebone, central London, on Christmas Eve last year.
The 40-year-old, originally from Aberdeen, was jailed in 2008 after attempting to extort money from a junior royal he claimed performed a sex act on a male aide at a party.
The fantasist visited three practices, two GPs and a private clinic to feed his prescription drug habit in the run-up to his death.
Strachan, who was born Paul Adalsteinsson, used different names to obtain a vast variety of prescription drugs which he popped ‘like sweets’, the inquest heard.
His left leg had been amputated after having an accident. The conman was also visiting numerous hospitals for surgery. He had suffered two heart attacks and was said to be drinking heavily and taking cocaine to deal with the phantom limb pain.
The inquest heard that he became increasingly violent towards his mother before he was found collapsed in his flat after consuming a cocktail of drugs mixed with milk.
Toxicology reports showed he had taken cocaine, codeine, maxicodone, xopicone and other prescription substances.
In the hours before his death he had threatened to kill his mother, Elizabeth Stratton, with whom he lunched the previous day. He also sent a salvo of 1am text messages to her reading: ‘You want a body, you have got one. It will be a different day tomorrow, I won’t be here.’
Westminster Coroner’s Court heard he was pronounced dead as a result of respiratory failure due to multi drug poisoning.
Police constable Michaella Ashley said: ‘There was dried blood on his nose.
‘It was clear he was dead. There were empty prescription drug capsules on the counter.
‘There was a glass and open carton of milk and a considerable array of medication. Some capsules had been opened.
‘It looked like they had been cut open in the middle, as if someone had emptied the powder and poured it into the cup.
‘There was a litre bottle of vodka in the bin. The flat was barricaded, someone had put a table by the door.’
His mother was listed to attend as a witness, but rang to cancel her appearance.
A statement from her read to the inquest said: ‘Paul was becoming more addicted to his pills. He would scream at me to give him them when he could not sleep.
‘I would call for a doctor, but the NHS would tell me to give him his painkillers. In June 2016 he was lashing out at me. He struck me across the face and every four hours was popping pills like sweets.
‘All he had to do was call up the GP and order repeats, I had no control over my son.
‘The violent outbursts continued and he would complain of pressure inside his head, in periods of remorse he would cry in my arms like a small child. Paul wanted help. He wanted nothwas ing more than to marry and have children at some stage.’
Mr Strachan had used the alias Charles Goldstein and claimed to be a property developer and lawyer to party with the social elite.
He appeared to be living a champagne lifestyle, claiming to friends he had inherited a massive sum from his grandmother.
He said he was friends with Princes William and Harry but in fact a university dropout who lived with his mother.
Along with accomplice Sean McGuigan, he was sentenced to five years in prison for blackmail and released after 30 months.
The pair demanded the cash for sex and drugs recordings said to be of the married royal.
They filmed the aide snorting cocaine with a Harrods charge card and claimed the Royal had sex with him as a Stringfellows stripper looked on.
Mr Strachan tried to sell the story to various papers.
Coroner Dr Shirley Radcliffe said: ‘It was more likely than not that he formed an intention to take his life and carried out an act which he knew would result in that death, particularly noting the extraordinary amount of capsules that had been cut and emptied.
‘I’m sure it was impulsive to some degree.
‘He had sent text messages indicating an intention to end his life.
‘My conclusion will be that he killed himself.’
‘I had no control over my son’ ‘Pressure inside his head’