Inquest into Waterford drug death adjourned as prosecution imminent

THE INQUEST into the death of a 21-year-old man, who died weeks after taking drugs at a house party in Waterford last November, was adjourned yesterday as "criminal proceedings" are imminent, according to senior gardaí.

Coroner John Goff told a jury that the inquest, at the Courthouse in Waterford, was to be adjourned because proceedings are due to be brought against at least one individual in relation to the substances found at the party.

Kevin Doyle (21), an electronics student at Waterford Institute of Technology from the Viewmount estate in the city, died at Waterford Regional Hospital on December 4th, 2007.

Mr Doyle and John Grey (23) from the Ballybeg housing estate, became critically ill after ingesting both cocaine and ecstasy at a party in Mr Grey's family home in the early hours of November 25th, 2007. Mr Grey died at the hospital on December 8th.

The party had begun on Saturday night at a city pub to celebrate Mark Grey's 21st birthday.

About 30 people attended the house party, during which Mr Doyle and Mr Grey lapsed into a coma. Neither man regained consciousness after they collapsed.

Gardaí­ and ambulance crews were called and 15 people were treated in hospital. All but the three men were since discharged.

Ian Fitzgerald, a family friend, yesterday told the court how he identified the body of Kevin Doyle on December 12th, 2007.

State Pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy in evidence said that Mr Doyle "collapsed allegedly after taking cocaine and ecstacy". The deceased later suffered a heart attack.

A lack of oxygen following collapse was most likely what led to Mr Doyle's eventual death, even though he was "successfully resuscitated" afterwards.

Arrhythmia of the heart and serious seizures suffered by both men were consistent with cocaine and ecstacy use respectively, which were found in a urine sample. "Both drugs cause organ failure," said Dr Cassidy.

In her deposition, Mr Doyle's mother Breda said she had dropped her son into the city on the night before he took ill.

"He never said anything about going to a 21st," said Ms Doyle.

She later got a call to go to the hospital as "Kevin had overdosed". "There seemed to be pure panic there. I told the nurse that I was his mother," said Ms Doyle. One of her son's friends there appeared to be in difficulty, it emerged, while Mr Doyle was taken to intensive care.

Mr Doyle's father, John, travelled from Australia to be with his son, who had recovered from testicular cancer months prior to his death.