Man accused of supplying diet pills that killed student will face retrial

A mum whose daughter died after taking toxic diet pills has criticised the decision to overturn her alleged dealer’s conviction.

Eloise Parry, 21, died after taking eight tablets containing the poisonous 2,4-dinitrophenol, known as DNP in April 2015.

The pills were allegedly supplied by Bernard Rebelo, 31, who was found guilty of two counts of manslaughter and one of a food safety offence in relation to her death.

He was initially jailed for seven years in June but his convictions were overturned at the Court of Appeal yesterday.

Rebelo is now facing just a single charge of gross negligence manslaughter.

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Eloise’s mum Fiona Parry, from Condover, Shropshire, said: ‘I thought when he was convicted, that was it.

‘I know it was a long time coming, it took us three-and-a-bit years to get there, but we thought justice had been done.

‘Now we have got to go through it all again, and there’s going to be a long period of uncertainty. It’s very unsettling.

‘I will now spend the weekend burying myself in other things to help me deal with it.’

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Mrs Parry said her family, and especially her other daughter Rebecca, were not looking forward to a retrial.

Rebecca was with her sister the day before she died.

Mrs Parry added: ‘Fortunately, Rebecca didn’t have to give evidence at the first trial, but she now knows there is the prospect of being called as a witness, and she’s got to go through all of that.

‘Her sister was somebody she looked up to, somebody she idolised, Ella was four years older, and when she lost her it was very difficult.

Student Eloise was battling bulimia for two years while studying at Glyndwr University in Wrexham.