TOWIE’s Jake McLean triple drink drive limit and on cocaine as cause of death revealed in fatal Turkey crash

Reality TV star Jake McLean was nearly three times the drink drive limit and had taken cocaine when he died in a horror car crash in Turkey.

The 33-year-old The Only Way is Essex (TOWIE), who dated co-star Lauren Goodger for around four years, was killed in the smash in the Turkish holiday resort of Bodrum in July last year.

He was reportedly in the country for work and had been driving on-off girlfriend and fellow TOWIE member Yazmin Oukhellou, 29, in a Mercedes E-Class when the car veered off the road and plunged into a ravine.

Ms Oukhellou suffered serious injuries but survived the crash after managing to crawl from the wreckage of the overturned car. She recovered in hospital after having surgery to her arm.

Mr McLean suffered “traumatic head injuries and brain damage” and tragically died from a fractured skull, an inquest into his death at East London Coroner’s Court in Walthamstow heard.

Turkish authorities have now disclosed that the 33-year-old was almost triple the drink drive limit and had cocaine in his system at the time of the accident. A post-mortem carried out in Turkey found that he had 22 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood in his body - well above the legal limit of 80 milligrams - as well as traces of cocaine.

Coroner Dr Shrely Radcliffe told a hearing: “On July 3, 2022, while driving a motor vehicle in Bodrum, Turkey, he crashed and pronounced life extinct at the scene. The Turkish Ministry of Justice instructed a post-mortem, blood and urine were taken for toxicological analysis. Their conclusion was that the cause of death was a road traffic accident.

“We have no further information, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office tried but couldn’t get any more details. It was deemed to be non-suspicious and simply an RTA. The post-mortem found no natural disease, as you would expect in a young man of 33.

“The cause of death was skull fractures and brain damage. In the toxicology there was evidence of alcohol, 222mg and cocaine metabolites. Well in excess of the legal limit for driving in this country.

“As far as I can see he was driving under the influence, nearly three times over the legal limit for driving and had cocaine in his system. My conclusion is that this is an RTC.”

Dr Anna Rycroft, a pathologist in Britain also carried out a post-mortem and found Mr McLean’s blood alcohol level to be 199 milligrams of alcohol and gave the cause of death as “traumatic head injuries”.

The legal alcohol limit in England and Wales for driving is 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood or 35mcg of alcohol per 100ml of breath.

Turkish prosecutors previously said they believe Mr McLean had been driving well over the 40mph speed limit when he hit the bend on a mountain road, moments before the fatal crash.

Anita Walsh, Mr McLean’s mother, attended the short inquest hearing in Walthamstow, east London, along with his brother. Addressing the bereaved family of the TOWIE star, Dr Radcliffe added: "It’s a terrible tragedy and such a lovely young man. My deepest, deepest condolences. I’m so sorry, I can’t imagine how you must feel.”

The family has asked if there is a way to get more information about what happened in the lead up to the crash, after it was reported the couple were arguing at the time. Dr Radcliffe said Turkish authorities would unlikely be able to provide any more details, adding: “The Foreign and Commonwealth Office deals with trying to obtain information about British nationals that died abroad, in our experience this can take a while.

“Turkey is not the most helpful, this incident was in July last year and it’s taken almost a year to obtain the post-mortem examination. To be able to understand any more information, I would contact the FCO. Our resources have reached an end.”

A funeral for Mr McLean was held in August last year and was attended by several TOWIE stars, including Lauren Goodger, James Argent and Liam Gatsby. Ms Oukhellou was not in attendance after reportedly being banned by Mr McLean’s family over an alleged row that took place before the fatal crash. An insider told The Sun at the time that the 29-year-old insisted no argument took place and she and Mr McLean “were happy”.

In January Ms Oukhellou quit TOWIE some six months after her brush with death that claimed the life of her partner and has since moved to Dubai.

In an Instagram post commenting on the crash last year, she said: “I have been taking some time away from social media to fully focus on my mental and physical recovery. I needed this time away to work on healing and processing everything as best as I can. This has taught me that life is so short and we must cherish our loved ones as much as possible.

“I am so grateful for our memories and the special time that Jake and I shared. I’ve not stopped thinking about him and I’ll miss him always. He will forever hold a special place in my heart. I want to thank everyone for their support and lovely messages. I truly appreciate each and every single one of you.”