A DENTISTRY student was left to die behind some bins after taking a lethal cocktail of drugs.

Mariam Ali Shaabam Hussain Khesroh was found dead in Harrogate in April last year after taking a combination of ketamine and heroin.

But an inquest heard the 24-year-old, originally from Kuwait, could have lived if medical assistance had been sought earlier.

The Leeds University student had travelled to Harrogate to celebrate the completion of her final exams – but never lived to find out she had passed them.

Detective Sergeant Steve Menzies said: “The two people in her company were aware of her troubled breathing after she took a cocktail of drugs but no medical assistance was sought.

“I would expect that most people’s thoughts would have been to get her emergency medical assistance, especially as Harrogate Hospital A&E was directly across the road.

“Mariam was dragged to the rear of the building and left behind some bins. There was a further one-and-a-half hour delay before an ambulance was called.”

Coroner Geoff Fell recorded a verdict of misadventure and afterwards he and the police highlighted an agreement between emergency services that could have saved her life.

“As this tragic case highlights, time is a crucial factor in cases involving the misuse of drugs and any delay in calling for medical assistance can mean the difference between life and death,” said Mr Fell.

“Our main concern is that people receive the care that they need as quickly as possible, therefore an agreement was introduced in 2007 which means that emergency health workers will not routinely call the police in the event of an apparent drugs overdose.”

No criminal charges were brought against anyone in connection with the death.