Couple tried to carry body into car to bring to hospital - inquest

A man called an ambulance after he saw a couple carrying a body into a car at a house in Lucan, Co Dublin.

Gordon Leitch noticed the unusual activity at a neighbouring house at about 7.30am on the morning of July 31st, 2015.

The couple were attempting to carry Adrian James Cullen (35) of Mount Gandon, Lucan, Co Dublin down the front steps of his home when Mr Leitch intervened.

“The car had been reversed into the driveway and right up to the steps at the front door,” Mr Leitch said.

“I saw her carrying something and I saw it was a leg. I realised it was Adrian they were dragging down the steps,” Mr Leitch said. He called an ambulance.

Dublin Coroner's Court heard Mr Cullen's parents were away and a couple had been staying with him in the house for a few days.

In his deposition, James O’Hanlon said he and his girlfriend had stayed with Mr Cullen and set his alarm as he was to start a new job that morning.

“After the alarm went off he didn’t come down ...we found him lying on the bathroom floor. I decided to take him to hospital in his mother’s car because it would have been faster than calling an ambulance,” Mr O’Hanlon said.

Dublin Fire Brigade arrived shortly after 8am.

Baffled

“Mr Cullen was beyond the point where resuscitation would have been effective,” Dublin Fire Brigade paramedic Fran McArdle said.

Mr Cullen was pronounced dead at the scene.

Gardaí investigated the case and a file was submitted to the Director of Public Prosecution.

“Just because of the unusual circumstances in which he was found. A file was submitted and no prosecution was directed by the DPP,” Garda Ciara Brooks said.

A postmortem conducted by Pathologist Eamon Leen found the body had fresh scrapes on the back possibly, due to attempts to move it down the steps. The cause of death was cardiac arrhythmia secondary to cocaine toxicity.

Mr Cullen’s father said the family knew of no connection between his son and the couple.

“I’ve never met those people, we were baffled as to what he was doing with them, they were not in his circle of friends,” Jim Cullen said.

The coroner returned a verdict of death by misadventure.