Some 38 per cent of victims of homicide had illicit drugs or medication in their system at the time of death, a study has found.
A study of records from the State Pathologist’s Office found there were 288 homicides between 2008 and 2012, comprised of murders and manslaughters.
The figures indicate an average of 57.6 homicides each year over the five-year period, with homicides accounting for 0.2 per cent of all deaths.
The greatest number of homicides took place in 2010, with 66 homicidal deaths, while the lowest was in 2011 when there were 47 such deaths.
UCC study
The study, entitled ‘Drug Associated Homicidal Deaths’, was carried out by Róisín Greaney, a medical student at
University College Cork
.
It found that 109 of the 288 homicide victims had illicit drugs or medication in their system at the time of death.
Of those 109 victims, 87 per cent were male and 13 per cent female.
Some 48 per cent of victims who had drugs or medication in their system died due to gunshot wounds.
Twenty-five per cent died from stab wounds, while blunt force trauma was the cause of death in 18 per cent of the cases.
In 75 per cent of cases, the victims had more than one drug in their system.
The presence of benzodiazepines (sedative drugs) or barbiturates was detected in 53 per cent of postmortem toxicology screenings.
Alcohol
Alcohol was detected in 39 per cent of cases, and opiates in 37 per cent.
Alcohol was only taken into account if it was used in combination with other drugs or medication.
The presence of cannabis was detected in 29 per cent of cases, while cocaine was detected in 22 per cent and methadone in 17 per cent of cases.