Sex, drugs and a dead businessman

Sarah Manning and David Monlun Source: Supplied

David Monlun. Picture: Facebook. Source: Facebook

Sarah Manning arrives at the inquest. Picture: John Grainger Source: The Daily Telegraph

DURING a night-long drug binge with his glamorous on-again off-again girlfriend, a wealthy French-born businessman booked a last-minute trip to New Zealand with the couple's young daughter.

The next morning David Monlun, who enjoyed all the "visible trappings of success", was found lying face-down and lifeless in the bedroom of his penthouse apartment overlooking Darling Harbour with a lethal dose of the drug GHB in his system.

Today an inquest into the May 2011 death heard the 40-year-old had a "volatile" and "highly sexual" relationship with his sometimes partner Sarah Manning for more than 10 years.

In his opening address, counsel assisting the coroner, Simon Buchen, said the couple had displayed "obsessive conduct" during their liaison and they had frequently taken illicit substances together - with both ice and GHB their "drugs of choice" in later years.

Sarah Manning, who had an ongoing relationship with French businessman David Monlun arrives at the inquest. Picture: John Grainger Source: The Daily Telegraph

"The consumption of (these substances) and drug-fuelled sexual encounters appear to have been a significant feature of the relationship," he said.

The inquest was told on the evening and early morning before the 40-year-old collapsed, Ms Manning and a friend, Jamie Philp, had been in his apartment and CCTV revealed them taking what appeared to be GHB together.

"(They) remained with Mr Monlun until they departed his unit just before 3.20am the following morning. They were the last people to see (him) alive," Mr Buchen said.

A few hours earlier Mr Monlun had bought the return plane tickets to New Zealand for himself and his daughter.

"This circumstance, together with other evidence ... would appear to be inconsistent with suicide," Mr Buchen said.

Aerial view of Darling Harbour. French businessman David Monlun had an penthouse apartment overlooking the harbour. Source: The Daily Telegraph

Mr Monlun had first moved to Sydney with his ex-wife in 1996 and since then he had been a partner in two successful businesses, transport agency Repworld and online wine company Bistrow.

"He enjoyed a good standard of living and the visible trappings of success, such as expensive cars, frequent travel and a sizeable apartment on the harbour," Mr Buchen said.

In 2003 Mr Monlun had a daughter with Ms Manning - who was 10 years his junior - and there was evidence that the following year they had married in Hawaii, although Mr Monlun later claimed the ceremony wasn't genuine and he had only done it to "appease" his girlfriend, he said.

But the inquest heard the couple again separated and in 2006 Mr Monlun was kidnapped and assaulted twice in quick succession - both at the hands of Ms Manning's former partner Matthew Haar, who was later jailed over the attack.

The second incident involved two female "accomplices", one of which was Ms Manning herself.

Mr Buchen said there was evidence the couple's tumultuous relationship had "intensified" again in the week's leading up to Mr Monlun's death.

The inquest would specifically examine how the 40-year-old came to consume the fatal overdose and the behaviour of both Ms Manning and Mr Philp in the lead-up to the death among other issues, he said.

It would also include evidence about the size of Mr Monlun's estate - which included a $4 million life-insurance policy - and who financially benefitted from his death.

The inquest continues.

Peter Bodkin
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