STEPHEN GATELY - STEPHEN GATELY 'SMOKED CANNABIS'

STEPHEN GATELY 'SMOKED CANNABIS'

Forensic examinations carried out on Stephen Gately's body show he smoked cannabis the night he died, police sources have revealed.

Stephen Gately smoked cannabis the night he died.

Tests carried out on the body of the 33-year-old Boyzone singer - whose death last Saturday (10.10.09) has been ruled as caused by natural causes - reportedly found traces of the drug in his urine.

A police source told Britain's The Sun newspaper: "Although we know Stephen smoked cannabis on the night he died, that was not the cause of his death."

Both Stephen's partner Andy Cowles - who he married in a civil ceremony in March 2006 - and Bulgarian Georgi Dochev, who was at the couple's Majorca home the night of Stephen's death, have told police the singer had consumed cannabis.

The source added: "They said he did not take any other drugs - but toxicology tests are being carried out to confirm this."

It is hoped the tests will also determine whether the cannabis or other substances such as alcohol acted as triggers for Stephen's death from acute pulmonary oedema, a build up of fluid in the lungs.

A forensic source told Majorca's Ultima Hora newspaper: "The relationship between this drug consumption and the death of the singer will now have to be determined by new analyses."

Studies have previously shown that cannabis use can cause lung damage and also quicken the heart rate, increasing the risk of sudden heart attacks.

Stephen's mother Margaret has disclosed there is a history of heart problems on his father Martin's side of the family and a spokesperson for the charity Cardiac Risk in the Young admitted anything that affects the rhythm of the heart could have caused a heart attack.

He said: "If you have an undiagnosed heart condition and you do anything that either speeds up or slows down the heart then you could trigger cardiac arrest - whether that be drugs, alcohol or exercise."

Stephen's manager Louis Walsh insisted the reports of his drug use should not matter.

He said: "So what? He didn't kill anyone."