Polish lover, 46, who ‘conned banker boyfriend over his £4M estate’ died from cocktail of drugs, inquest hears
A POLISH lover accused of conning her banker boyfriend over a £4million legacy died from a cocktail of drugs, an inquest heard.
Former nightclub boss Magdalena Zalinska was discovered unresponsive at her London home by friends.
An inquest has now heard she had a history of drug and alcohol abuse and overdosed on substances including cocaine.
Ms Zalinska, 46, had been embroiled in a bitter legal battle with the family of her late former lover Danny Truell.
She was accused of trying to unfairly claim up to £4million of an £18million legacy he left after dying aged 55 in 2019.
He had been suffering from motor neurone disease and multiple sclerosis.
Mr Truell built an £18million fortune with Goldman Sachs before becoming Britain’s best-paid charity boss, spending 12 years as chief investment officer at the Wellcome Trust.
His brother Edi, 61, later sued Ms Zelinska, accusing her of exerting “undue influence” on Danny while also referring to her via his lawyers as a “call girl”.
He also claimed she used her nightclub business as a “front” to “extract” money from the multi-millionaire, after she was granted interest in Mr Truell’s Clapham apartment in his will.
She was also awarded £2million in cash and £1.3million from his bank account in the seven years before he died.
Mr Truell’s will described Ms Zalinska as his “partner and dependent”.
He had divorced his wife of 16 years Naomi in 2011, the year before he was diagnosed.
Ms Zalinska denied the allegations against her and insisted the pair’s relationship was genuine and loving.
An initial court discussion in February saw a two-week trial at London’s High Court scheduled for next year.
But Ms Zalinska was then found dead at her flat in Clapham, south London, on March 11.
Today’s opening of her remotely-held inquest at Inner West London Coroner’s Court was attended by her teenage daughter Aleksandra and her solicitor, the Mail reported.
Ms Zalinska’s GP Nita Bass told the hearing how her patient was treated for cocaine and amphetamine addiction and also had a 20-year history of drug and alcohol abuse.
The inquest heard how Ms Zalinska, said to drink a litre of vodka each day, had been prescribed a course of anti-depressants after suffering stress amid the ongoing legal battle.
Nurse practitioner James Kwon told the inquest he went to the Clapham home with police after welfare concerns were raised by her friends.
He also told coroner Dr Russell Caller how Ms Zalinska had spoken of suicidal thoughts and asked for more anti-depressants.
A post-mortem at St George’s Hospital in Tooting, south London, found she had high levels of cocaine and methadone in her system.
Dr Russell Caller recorded her death as drug-related, telling Ms Zalinska’s daughter: “You have my sympathy in what you have been through.”
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