Man on head shop drug appeared ‘possessed’, inquest hears

An inquest has heard a man who had taken a head shop drug appeared “possessed” before he was brought to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Gardaí were called to the home of Damien Taylor (34) at Kindlestown Park, Greystones, Co Wicklow after he repeatedly attempted to take his own life.

He was being restrained by his brother when he went limp and became unresponsive, Dublin Coroner’s Court heard.

Mr Taylor had taken Alpha PVP, known as flakka, bubble or gravel, which is a type of head shop drug.

Pathologist Dr Michael Curtis said the drug is causing concern among medics due to its growing prevalence and its disturbing effects on behaviour.

It 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 Mr Taylor’s heart to stop beating.

On March 22nd, 2015, Mr Taylor’s sister-in-law called gardaí 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 gardaí arrived, leading his brother and the gardaí 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 gardaí decided to seek medical assistance when the man remained limp.

Mr Taylor was taken to St Vincent’s Hospital where he was pronounced dead on March 23rd.

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 gardaí, 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.