Police in Amsterdam insisted yesterday that the death of a 25-year-old Irishman, whose body was found in a hostel 11 days ago, was caused by a drugs overdose, writes Isabel Conway in Amsterdam and Martin Wall.
The State Pathologist, Dr Marie Cassidy, yesterday carried out an examination of the body of Mr Derek Cooper from Swords in north Dublin. An earlier post-mortem performed after the body was brought back to Dublin at the weekend had found marks that indicated that he might have been strangled.
A Garda spokeswoman last night told The Irish Times that they were awaiting the results of Dr Cassidy's examination.
Mr Brian Cooper, the father of the dead man, yesterday criticised the investigation carried out by the Dutch police into his son's death.
Mr Cooper, who lives in Oranmore, Co Galway, said he did not believe the Dutch police had adequately investigated the death of his son, who was a recovering drug addict. However, police in Amsterdam last night maintained that there was "nothing at all to suggest that the death was anything but drugs related".
A police spokesman added: "If we receive an official report from the Irish police to the contrary, we will reopen the case but until then, as far as we are concerned, the matter is closed".
Derek Cooper was last seen on October 4th after checking into the €20-a-night hostel above Irish pub Durty Nelly's in Amsterdam.
The 46-bed hostel is popular with budget travellers.
The district is notorious for its hard-drugs peddlers, who patrol the laneways in between streets lined with cafes and where the city's red-light trade is concentrated.
According to family members, Mr Cooper travelled to Holland after responding to an advertisement for furniture polishers.
It is understood that he had €400 and a supply of methadone with him when he arrived in Amsterdam.
Mr Cooper is said to have left the hostel shortly after checking in and paying €20 for his bed.
He was not seen again, and according to the hostel manager, staff assumed that he had checked out the next morning because the locker allocated to him was empty.
At around 8.30 p.m. on October 5th, his body was found in a locked toilet in the upstairs hostel. Staff were called to open the door with a screwdriver following complaints from a guest that it had been permanently engaged.
The pathologist report concluded that his death was "not due to natural causes but was likely due to an overdose of intravenous drugs".
The time of death was believed to have been between the night of October 4th and the early hours of the 5th. A syringe was found next to the body and the examination showed that the groin area had a needle mark. According to Amsterdam police spokesman Mr Rob van der Veen, the public prosecutor was notified.
Based on the pathologist's report and the police report, the public prosecutor concluded there was no evidence to suggest a crime had been committed.