Cause of man's death questioned

The mother of a Dublin man who died after taking cocaine has asked for his body to be exhumed and further tests carried out.

Mr Christopher Hutch (25) was found unconscious at his flat in the north inner city of Dublin in March last year, and pronounced dead in the Mater Hospital.

The Dublin City Coroner's Court heard yesterday that his blood contained a small amount of alcohol, as well as cocaine, and a number of products known to be breakdowns of cocaine.

The doctor who performed the autopsy was satisfied that the latter drug had caused Mr Hutch's death through cardiac arrest.

But the deceased's mother told the court her son was a healthy young man who was a non-smoker and "recreational coke taker", and she did not believe his death was caused by cocaine.

Ms Jane Burke said gardaí at the Bridewell should have been notified when he was found, a toxicologist should have been called in, and the scene preserved for investigation.

Instead the flat had been "tumbled", she claimed. "My husband [Mr Edward Hutch] and his brothers took everything out of my son's home."

Ms Burke also said that a named garda from the Bridewell had told her there were "suspicious circumstances" surrounding her son's death.

The Dublin City Coroner, Mr Brian Farrell, adjourned the case so that evidence from the garda in question could be sought.