Mother asks for drug death son's body to be exhumed
A distraught mother called for the body of her beloved son to be exhumed tonight almost two years after his death.
An inquest found that Christopher Hutch from Blackhall Square, North King’s Street in Dublin, a nephew of convicted criminal Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch, died from cocaine toxicity on March 30, 2003.
However, his mother Jane Byrne, queried whether any poisons, such as rat poison, had been found.
She said: “I’d like his body exhumed and every organ taken out and tested for poison.”
And she told the Dublin City Coroner’s Court: “I’m not happy, I’d like to keep this open until I find out the truth.”
Ms Byrne added: “I’ve studied the Discovery Channel and rat poison doesn’t show up.”
However, the coroner, Dr Brian Farrell, reassured her that the screen was carried out for many poisons.
He said that the only substances found were a small level of alcohol and a significant amount of cocaine.
The pathologist from the Mater Hospital, Dr Niall Mulligan, said: “There was no evidence at all that there was any other substance involved.”
He said Mr Hutch had died from a heart attack brought on by the cardiac toxic effects of cocaine. He warned that it was a variable drug.
“Any level is significant and can cause sudden death,” he said. “It doesn’t matter how much you take.”
His mother admitted: “I know my son took one line of coke that day after the gym.”
His father, Edward, who was seated apart from his wife in the court but near his brother Gerry, said he accepted the cause of his son’s death and said his wife was simply trying to drag the case on.
The court heard Mr Hutch was rushed to the hospital from his flat in north Dublin on March 30, 2003 after a night out drinking with a friend, David Waldren.
He said they had not been taking drugs, but in the early hours of the morning Mr Hutch collapsed.
The ambulance crew said when they arrived at the scene Mr Hutch had blood-smeared fluid coming from his nose, no pulse and was not breathing.
Mr Hutch’s mother went on to accuse her husband, Edward, and his brothers of clearing out her son’s flat soon after his death.
She said: “There is no way would a proper father clear out his child’s home like that.”
And she claimed that his pin number had been used twice on the day of his death to withdraw cash from his account. Ms Byrne added: “The guards won’t do any inquiry.”
The coroner said he could not go into family matters.
However, Inspector Timothy McCarthy from the Bridewell Garda Station said the difficulty was gardai were not informed by the emergency ambulance crew after they were called to Mr Hutch’s flat.
He said the Bridewell was not notified until a week later and the flat had already been cleaned up by that time.
The senior garda said officers had then searched the premises but found no substances.
“We believe there was no third party involvement in his death,” he said.
Garda Kieran Cronin said they were specifically investigating the death and had no knowledge of any claims about his bank accounts.
The coroner passed a verdict of death by misadventure due to cocaine toxicity and said he was satisfied there were no suspicious circumstances.
