Lisburn man dies in Cambodia of suspected drug-link heart attack

The mother of a man who died in Cambodia from a suspected drug-induced heart attack has described him as a "very good son".

Martin Stephen Hale (34), from Lisburn, Co Down, was found dead in the Happy House guesthouse in Phnom Penh.

His mother, Teresa Temple, said he had died from a cardiac arrest after taking morphine tablets.

“Martin was a very good son, very kind-hearted to everybody, he saw no wrong in anyone,” she said.

The heartbroken mother said she had warned her son about his drug use in the past.

“I tried to advise him all the time about getting away from drugs but it was just one of those things - he seemed to think he was all right,” she told the BBC.

Police in Cambodia said another man from Northern Ireland was taken to hospital after being found in the same room of the Happy House guesthouse after the incident last week.

The man, aged 20 and believed to be a relative of Mr Hale’s, was brought to Calmette Hospital for treatment before later being discharged.

Relatives of the man launched an online appeal to trace him after being unable to make contact with him after his hospital discharge.

It is understood he was later located close to the British Embassy.

Police in Phnom Penh, who posted pictures of the two men’s passports, earlier said an investigation into the death was conducted but no official cause had been released.

In a statement, the UK foreign office said: “We are providing support to the family of a British man following his death in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Friday 1 July. Our sympathies are with them at this difficult time.”

Additional reporting: Press Association