More details on the BK Wollongong death/suicide

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More details on the BK Wollongong death/suicide

Post22 Aug 2010

I found some more details on the BK Wollongong death/suicide which shed a different light on the affair. As with the Ranja Patel case, and others in India, it seems that there was a relationship involved. In this case a "secret engagement".

As is notably common within the BKWSU worldwide, I would argue, the active BKs was noted as "not being entirely open with police".

Dr Gary Gow pleaded guilty to the manslaughter and was given an 18 month suspended sentence by Judge Peter Berman who said Gow, a "man of impeccable character", prescribed the wrong kind of morphine.

Was the court made aware of the complications created by the Brahma Kumari involvement and what has happened to BK Andrea Sant within the BKWSU system since the death and secret engagement has come into the public? Perhaps only BKs or ex-BK would fully appreciate the complications this would have involved, and certainly the subtle duplicity of the "Brother and Sister" reference.

More wrecked lives ...?

And, if one was to be pedantic from a theological point of view, if the Brahma Kumaris Shiva Baba was the all knowing, all wonderful protector of his children, or at least his real estate, how could this happen within one of his centers? Perhaps it was seen as karmic retribution for the evil sins of lusts and attachments ... who knows?

In 2008, BK Andrea Sant was still doing "The Magical Power of meditation. Foundation Course in Raja Yoga Meditation" at the BKWSU front "Inner Space, Centre for Spiritual Learning" in Wilton, NSW, one hour from Sydney.
Patient Spoke of Suicide by LAUREL-LEE RODERICK
Illawarra Mercury Wednesday August 9, 2006


BEFORE he injected himself with a fatal dose of morphine, Figtree man Wayne Ritchie had experienced bouts of depression and suicidal thoughts, a jury was told yesterday. Mr Ritchie died on October 3, 2004, about 12 hours after allegedly injecting himself with 120mg of morphine tartrate. The doctor who prescribed the drug, Wollongong GP and naturopath Garry Gow, is standing trial for the manslaughter of Mr Ritchie. The Crown alleges Gow, 53, was criminally negligent and breached his duty of care by prescribing the morphine without giving instructions on the dosage.

On the second day of the trial in the NSW District Court, Andrea Sant said that her "spiritual partner", Mr Ritchie, 52, had told her of suicidal thoughts he had before he came to live with her at the Brahma Kumaris Raja Yoga centre at Figtree. When questioned by Gow's defence barrister Elizabeth Fullerton, SC, about Mr Ritchie's state of mind while at the centre, Ms Sant said: "Yes, he was down ... I wouldn't call that depression".


The court also heard that Ms Sant had "not been entirely open" with police during the investigation. Ms Sant initially told police she and Mr Ritchie were "close friends". Yesterday, she told the court the couple were "spiritual partners" and had been engaged to be married.

Ms Fullerton said Ms Sant told police: "I have known him for nine years and over that time we had become close friends in the organisation. You can say we were like Brother and Sister."

Ms Sant yesterday said she did not disclose the couple's relationship because the engagement was not made public and it was highly unusual for a male and female in a relationship to live together in a Brahma Kumaris centre.



In the days leading up to his death, Mr Ritchie had experienced extreme back and neck pain. Ms Sant said he had "put his back out" about two months before his death when he fell from a one-tonne truck while moving furniture. But he did not seek any medical treatment after the fall. Ms Fullerton asked whether Ms Sant, who has a genetic medical condition, had shared her prescribed pethedine - used for pain relief - with her partner more than once.

Ms Sant denied that had occurred, even after Ms Fullerton produced pharmacy records which showed Ms Sant had filled four prescriptions for pethedine from June 1 to October 1, 2004. Each script was for five ampoules, each containing 100mg of pethedine - a total of 2000mg of pethedine. But Ms Sant said she injected pethedine about once a month.

Earlier, the jury heard evidence from the detective in charge of the case, Senior Constable Frank Sanvitale, who said Gow was not charged with manslaughter until July 29, 2005. The doctor declined to be interviewed by police. But Snr Const Sanvitale said Gow had told him "I tried to act compassionately". During cross-examination, Snr Const Sanvitale was questioned about why police did not collect more physical evidence from the crime scene. The court heard that police seized the box of morphine tartrate, four unused ampoules, a packet of codeine and a prescription for the codeine.

But neither detectives nor forensic officers kept the used syringe, the empty morphine ampoule or papers discarded in the same bin. Those items were only photographed. "There was nothing at the scene to indicate foul play or suicide or anything like that and when we examined the crime scene, it was not a complicated crime scene," Snr Const Sanvitale said.

It is worth noting that this is not the only example of secret relationships between a male BK and a female BK living together in a Brahma Kumaris centre not being made public, e.g. the incident in Texas.

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