Teen died after taking ‘bombs’ of ecstasy at Indiependence, inquest told

A teenager who wasn’t a regular drug user died after taking “bombs” of ecstasy (MDMA) at the Indiependence music festival in Mitchelstown, Co Cork, an inquest has heard.

Coroner Philip Comyn presided over the inquest of Jack Downey (19) of Ard Chaoin in Clonmel, Co Tipperary, who died on August 5th, 2019, at Cork University Hospital having been taken there by ambulance three days earlier.

Mr Comyn told an inquest in Cork that the death was a tragedy which occurred when Jack, like many youths of his age, decided to “dabble” with drugs.

“Jack was not a regular drug user. Young people of today have such opportunities in front of them but they also have greater opportunities to take these drugs. There is no such thing as a safe illicit street drug.”

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He described such deaths as occurring because of “Russian roulette” with people taking illicit drugs with no idea of what drug dealers have used to make them.

Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster carried out a postmortem on the body of the teenager, who had just completed first year in Cork Institute of Technology. She said Jack died of organ failure with hyperthermia following the ingestion of ecstasy and morphine. A contributory factor was aspiration pneumonia. Dr Bolster emphasised that Jack would have lapsed into a coma and that no suffering would have taken place. She warned that people never know how they are going to react to taking to ecstasy or any illicit street drug.

Shaking

A number of those at the campsite when Jack became ill gave statements to gardaí. One friend said that they had collected the rock of ecstasy in Tipperary before they travelled to Cork. He said the group were not used to taking ecstasy and had bought more than 7g for €200 which they divided among a group of six. The friend reported that Jack started taking the ecstasy early in the afternoon on the first day of the concert, on August 2nd.

He noted that Jack started “shaking and sweating”. Jack took another few bombs of ecstasy and “panic began to set in” among his friends.

“He was shaking a lot. The shakes were vicious. We were just around him in a shock not knowing what to do.”

The friends placed Jack in a tent but when his condition further disimproved he was seen by paramedics and taken to hospital.

Det Sgt James O’Shea thanked the friends of the deceased for their assistance with the criminal investigation. CCTV was harvested from the campsite and numerous statements were taken. A file was sent to the DPP. However, no prosecution arose.

A verdict of misadventure was recorded in the case. Jack is survived by his parents, Elaine and Johnny Downey.

Following his death they urged parents to talk to their children about drugs, saying that it is a problem that affects everyone regardless of class. Johnny Downey, who is a garda in Clonmel, said he never thought they would lose their son in this manner.