A British backpacker who died from methanol poisoning in Laos did not have her drinks contaminated by hostel workers, an inquest has been told, as the focus of the investigation shifts to the factory that produced the alcohol.
Assistant Coroner Sebastian Naughton, sitting at South London Coroners’ Court, said the Australian Federal Police (AFP) – which has been probing the case – had advised there was no evidence that staff at the Nana Backpacker Hostel were involved in lacing drinks with the toxic substance. The finding clears the hostel’s employees of any direct role in the deaths of six foreign tourists in November 2024.
Distillery investigation and charges referred to prosecutors
Mr Naughton confirmed that an investigation into the distillery owner and factory workers involved in the production of the drink remains ongoing. Charges have been referred to prosecutors under Laos criminal law, based on test results from samples taken at both the hostel and the factory, as well as intelligence provided by the AFP.
The update was relayed via an overseas crime agency based in Vietnam that covers Laos. Mr Naughton told the hearing that the authorities in Laos have arrested the owner of a factory outside Vientiane suspected of producing Tiger Vodka and Tiger Whiskey – the brands believed to have been used in the free drinks served to guests. Those products have been banned nationwide.
In a separate but related development, reports from Laos indicate that ten individuals connected to the Nana Backpacker Hostel appeared in court in January 2026 and were fined $185 (approximately £95) for destroying evidence. They received suspended sentences. Crucially, no charges have been directly linked to the deaths themselves, a fact that has caused deep frustration among the families of the victims.
The Australian government has voiced mounting concern over the lack of transparency from Lao authorities and appointed a special envoy, Pablo Kang, to explore avenues for the investigation. The AFP has been heavily involved in gathering evidence and supporting the case.
Simone White, 28, a British lawyer from Orpington, Kent, died on 21 November 2024 in Vang Vieng, a popular backpacking town in Laos. She was one of six tourists who fell ill after consuming free vodka shots served at the hostel. The other victims included two Australian teenagers – Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles, both 19 – an American man aged 57 and two Danish women aged 19 and 20.
Methanol, a toxic industrial alcohol that is colourless, odourless and tasteless, is sometimes added illegally to alcoholic drinks as a cheap substitute for ethanol. Consumption can cause severe illness, blindness, permanent damage to the central nervous system, coma and death within 12 to 48 hours.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has issued travel warnings about methanol poisoning in Laos, urging travellers to buy alcohol only from licensed stores and bars, avoid homemade drinks, check bottle seals and inspect labels for poor print quality or spelling errors.
Family frustration and the road ahead for the inquest
The inquest heard that the FCDO has received only one piece of formal written communication from the Lao authorities throughout the entire process. Sarah Price, from the consular assistance department, described the government as “closed and secretive”, adding that it was “very unlikely that we will get any documentation” regarding the distillery case. She expressed fears that no new information “might appear”.
Speaking to Neil White, a relative of Simone, Mr Naughton acknowledged the “frustration from Simone’s family at the delays and lack of an investigation of the criminal process in Laos”. He noted that it was “quite usual in this court for deaths overseas tragically to be delayed pending investigations and sometimes different legal processes taking place in other countries”.
The coroner originally intended to wait for the outcome of the distillery investigation before holding a full inquest. He has now requested an update in five months from Ms Price and Detective Sergeant Peter Duke, from the Joint International Crime Centre. If new information emerges, a pre-inquest review hearing will be held within six months. If no new information materialises, a full inquest will be scheduled in the same timeframe, at which Mr Naughton will call the pathologist who carried out the post-mortem examination of Ms White to answer questions on methanol poisoning.
The Nana Backpacker Hostel has since closed and reportedly rebranded as “Vang Vieng Central Backpackers Hostel” in an attempt to attract new tourists. Simone White, a graduate of Newcastle University, had her life support switched off by her mother, Sue White, after she travelled to Laos to be at her bedside.
