A HOMELESS drug addict who sought refuge from the snow in his ex-partner’s apartment died after taking a cocktail of drugs.
Patrick Doyle (30), of no fixed abode, was found dead in an apartment at The Steeples, St Laurence’s Road, Chapelizod, on December 2nd, 2010. His former partner, Samantha Walsh, raised the alarm after he had not returned the keys to the apartment as planned.
Ms Walsh told the court she last saw Mr Doyle on November 30th, when they met and walked towards the Luas stop at Heuston Station. It was snowing and Mr Doyle asked if he could stay at her apartment for a couple of nights. She gave him the keys along with €40 before he left on the Luas.
He promised to be in the apartment on December 2nd to return the keys to Ms Walsh. When she called over she got no answer but could hear the television. She called the Garda and gave them permission to break in. On entering the apartment, gardaí and Ms Walsh found Mr Doyle dead on the couch.
Garda David Leonard, of Ballyfermot Garda station, said there was drug paraphernalia on the table. Mr Doyle had been dead for at least 12 hours.
The postmortem report showed Mr Doyle had taken cocaine, morphine and methadone. It had been thought he may have taken heroin but Ms Walsh told the court there had been a heroin drought at the time of Mr Doyle’s death
Coroner Dr Brian Farrell said none of the drugs present were taken in large quantities, but their combined toxic effect had resulted in Mr Doyle’s death. He returned a verdict of death by misadventure.