Inquest hears how man on head shop drug acted as if ’possessed’ shortly before death
By Louise Roseingrave
A man was high on a head shop drug when he caused a disturbance that prompted a relative to described him as ‘possessed.’
Gardai were called to the home of Damien Taylor (34) at Kindlestown Park, Greystones, Co Wicklow as he repeatedly attempted to take his own life.
He was being restrained by his brother in a desperate bid to stop him from taking his own life when he went limp and became unresponsive, an inquest heard.
The man had taken Alpha PVP, known as ‘bubble’ or ‘gravel’ which is a type of head shop drug related to bath salts, Dublin Coroner’s Court heard.
Pathologist Dr Michael Curtis said the drug is causing concern among medics due to its growing prevalence and its disturbing effects on behaviour.
The drug can cause increased aggression and paranoia and can be fatal particularly when a user is restrained, Dr Curtis said.
He said a toxicology report at autopsy revealed ‘significant levels of Alpha PVP’ which caused the man’s heart to stop beating.
On March 22 2015 Mr Taylor’s sister-in-law called gardai to the family home at 10.50pm. Mr Taylor was extremely paranoid and was attempting to take his own life when he was physically restrained by his brother.
Family members said they had never seen Mr Taylor behave this way. Mr Taylor went limp as gardai arrived, leading his brother and the guards to believe he was ‘playing dead.’
He was arrested under the Mental Health Act, handcuffed and placed in garda custody.
He was carried to the Garda van but gardai sought medical assistance when the man remained limp. Mr Taylor was taken to St Vincent’s Hospital where he was pronounced dead on March 23.
Dr Curtis said if an Alpha PVP user is restrained, it can cause anxiety, stress and the release of adrenalin, which makes a cardiac arrest more likely.
“It’s a synthetic drug, known in some parts of the world as gravel. It’s a head shop drug, marketed as bath salts or plant food and people take it for its psychoactive effect,” Dr Curtis said.
The cause of death was Alpha PVP toxicity with restraint as a contributory factor.
The jury returned a verdict of death by misadventure and recommended that basic first aid training be mandatory for all gardai, not just recruits who have entered the force since 2014.
The jury recommended that all garda vehicles should be suitably equipped to deal with medical emergencies.
