UK inquest hears Muay Thai boxer Josh Goldstone, 21, died from a drug cocktail in Pattaya hotel. Tragedy stuns the fight world. Full hearing due later this year. It comes as a second Brit shoots himself in the forehead this week playing Russian Roulette after taking cannabis and laughing gas with a Lithuanian friend.
A preliminary hearing was held in Kent in the United Kingdom this week into a 21-year British man who died from a drug cocktail including ketamine and cannabis at a party in Pattaya on October 30 last year. The death of promising Muay Thai boxer Josh Goldstone stunned his friends in Thailand and at home in the UK. A full inquest will be held later in the year. It comes in a week in which a 30-year British national shot himself in the forehead, also in Pattaya. He had been playing Russian Roulette with a handgun after taking laughing gas and cannabis at another private party.
An initial hearing in the UK inquest into the death of 21-year-old Josh Goldstone took place this week in the United Kingdom. A full hearing into how the young Thai Muay Thai boxer died will be held later in 2025.
However, Coroner Susan Clarke did confirm one key detail. “This was a suspected drug overdose in a hotel in Thailand,” she asserted at the preliminary hearing. It was held at the Oakwood House in Maidstone, Kent.
UK post-mortem confirms multi-drug toxicity in Pattaya hotel death after initial confusion by Thai police
Significantly, this nugget of information summarised but certainly adds context to an autopsy report produced in Thailand. It stated that the cause of Mr Goldstone’s death was “respiratory and circulatory system failure.”
Additional findings from a UK post-mortem, however, later confirmed that the actual cause was multi-drug toxicity, raising questions about the events that unfolded in the hours before his death.
The incident occurred in Room 2412 of the Vogue Hotel in Pattaya, a coastal resort city in Thailand, where Josh was found lifeless in the early hours of October 30, 2024.
He was sharing a bedroom with Australian Muay Thai champion Mr Jayson Peter Tonkin, known as “The Dingo,” a close friend and training partner of Mr. Goldstone.
Initial confusion surrounded the death when Thai police incorrectly identified the deceased. In the chaos of the hotel room, they reported that Mr Tonkin had died and that his companion had been rushed to hospital, severely affected by drugs and possibly in a coma.
Only the following day did officials correct their report, confirming that it was Josh who had died and that Tonkin had survived. Tonkin, a confessed former drug addict and well-known super middleweight fighter from Sydney, was later described as “in a crazed state” by witnesses.
Thai police were waiting to question him about the drugs found at the scene.
Promising young fighter mourned by friends and gyms in Thailand and the UK after untimely hotel death
The UK lad had moved to Thailand to train in Hua Hin and pursue a Southeast Asia Muay Thai career. Indeed, he was known as a ferocious fighter.
His nickname “Lil’ Savage” gives some idea of what he was like. At length, he was tipped for a great career in the fast-rising and increasingly lucrative world of Muay Thai boxing.
Just days before his death, Josh had shared snapshots of his life in Thailand, proudly posting photos from the ring and training camp. His death shocked the tight-knit fighting community, with tributes flooding in from friends, family, and fellow athletes.
Semtex Muay Thai in Tunbridge Wells, where Josh had trained since his teens, described him as a “strong-spirited, kind-hearted and fearless boy” who inspired younger team members.
“He was the joker of our Semtex family and, without fail, would put a smile on everyone’s face,” the club said. “Josh had a very successful fighting career, mainly out in Thailand, taking some almighty wins, known for his aggressive and merciless style. And it was only just the start for him. Goodbyes hurt the most when the story was not finished.”
Family in East Sussex left heartbroken as festive reunion becomes repatriation and farewell service
Josh came from a very respectable middle-class family in Kent. His father, Adam, and older brother, Alex, were noted sportsmen. At the same time, his devoted mother, Anne, worked as a firefighter.
The family, from Etchingham, East Sussex, were expecting Josh home for Christmas 2024. Instead, his remains were repatriated to the UK on November 9, just days after his promising life was tragically cut short. They held a farewell service at the village hall, supported by friends and relatives in what they described as an “unbearable time.”
Therefore, the family’s world was torn apart on October 30th last year when news reached the UK. Certainly, when police were called to the room, they found Mr Tonkin losing his mind.
Hotel scene left Thai police facing key questions over drugs, paraphernalia and lack of any visible struggle
Hotel staff had reportedly been alerted by a commotion on the upper floor. They found one man panicking and shouting while another lay face up on the floor, motionless.
Police records show no signs of struggle were found in the room, but they did recover drug paraphernalia, ketamine, and marijuana on a table.
Thai police later made clear that ketamine is a Schedule 2 narcotic in Thailand. Certainly, possession or consumption carries potential jail time. At the time, Tonkin was said to be under investigation, though it remains unclear whether charges were ever filed.
Police additionally were confronted undeniably with evidence that the pair were engaged in drug-taking.
This story of tragedy and innocence brings home the danger of drugs in Thailand. It comes in the same week that a 30-year-old British man shot himself in the forehead in Pattaya. That incident took place at a high-rise apartment in Bang Lamung on Tuesday night. At length, the Briton had also been engaged in a drug party.
Cannabis and illicity drugs use rise among expats despite studies warning of addiction and mental health risks
This included taking nitrous oxide and potent cannabis. At the same time, cannabis remains legal in Thailand. Certainly, those who advocate say it is harmless.
However, this contradicts Thai medical opinion and peer-reviewed studies worldwide. These suggest that not only does cannabis create a gateway to further substance use, but it also causes mental health issues in regular users.
Thai Examiner survey on legal cannabis in Thailand. Tell us what you think?
Brit shoots himself in the forehead after playing Russian Roulette in Pattaya high on cannabis and laughing gas
Nonetheless, its popularity among young adults has grown. A 2022 American study showed 25% of adults had used it previously over the past year.
That figure may also apply to many Western expats living in Thailand. Meanwhile, less than 5% of Thais use cannabis.
Significantly, an overwhelming majority of the population objected to its 2022 legalisation in Thailand. In particular, they are unhappy with its widespread availability.
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Further reading:
Body of crazed German man who refused to take his meds but instead smoked cannabis, found at home
Loony pot-smoking German who terrorises dentist clinics on the run in Nakhon Ratchasima. Arrested
29-year-old Indian tourist jumped to his death in Bangkok’s Sukhumvit area. Cannabis found in room
Road rage caused a marijuana dealer to fatally stab a Burmese painter in Bangkok on Sunday night
Marijuana use is linked to a tragic murder-suicide case in Nakhon Si Thammarat on Monday morning
Potent pot to be criminalised as the minister looks at ways to suppress recreational cannabis use
