Family welcomes Brimble verdict

Dianne Brimble died after being 'unknowingly drugged by unscrupulous individuals'. Photo / Supplied

The family of Dianne Brimble has welcomed a coroner's finding that she died after being "unknowingly drugged by unscrupulous individuals".

Coroner Jacqueline Milledge concluded the mother of three children died from the effects of the drug known as fantasy.

"The manner of death is the administration of the drug by a known person," she said yesterday.

Brimble, 42, died on board a P&O cruise ship in September 2002 after consuming a toxic mix of alcohol and the drug fantasy.

Outside Balmain Local Court, her former husband Mark Brimble and her partner at the time of her death, David Mitchell, said they were pleased with the findings about the mother of their children.

"Somebody has finally got it right," Brimble said.

He said they were happy as a family "to have the pages of history" show that the events took place as described by the coroner.

"The way in which her life finished has finally been told," Brimble said.

Three men were charged over Brimble's death, including Mark Wilhelm, in whose cabin her naked body was found and with whom she'd had sex.

A manslaughter charge against Wilhelm was dropped earlier this year but he pleaded guilty to supplying the drug to Brimble.

Outside the court, Brimble referred to a widely publicised photo taken of the eight men of interest outside the cruise terminal before the trip began.

He said it was fitting that if Wilhelm had turned he would have seen his former wife.

Brimble said that he hoped that for the rest of Wilhelm's life "whenever he looks over his right shoulder he will see Dianne Brimble".

In her findings, Milledge said the death of Brimble was tragic in the extreme.

"She was a person who lived a decent and innocent lifestyle," the coroner said.

- AAP