A man who ate magic mushrooms and then jumped to his death from a Dublin balcony was "far removed from reality" as a consequence of consuming the hallucinogenic drugs, an inquest has heard.
Colm Hodkinson (33), the Anchorage, Clarence Street, Dún Laoghaire, Dublin, jumped from the roof of his third-floor apartment on October 30th, 2005. He died from extensive head injuries almost instantaneously.
Johnny Hayes told Dublin County Coroner's Court yesterday that his friend was in "great form" on the night of his death before he ate the hallucinogenic mushrooms. He said Mr Hodkinson "wolfed down the mushrooms" because of their bad taste. "Later he came out of the bedroom holding his head with his hands. He was saying things like 'the colours, the colours . . . I don't know what's going on . . .' The next thing I knew he'd bolted. He had his hands on the rooftop and literally vaulted himself over at speed . . . I'm 100 per cent positive that the mushrooms had a detrimental effect."
A toxicology report revealed Mr Hodkinson had also consumed a small amount of alcohol and a trace of cannabis on the night he died. A jury returned a verdict of death by misadventure. They also recommended that a study be undertaken into the potentially damaging effects of mind-altering substances.
Coroner Dr Kieran Geraghty said he "hoped at least one person might learn" from Mr Hodkinson's tragic death as hundreds of young people take drugs on a regular basis. He added he would soon be seeing the consequences of more drug-related deaths before his court.
The inquest heard that Mr Hodkinson had "never been happier" in all his life. It was the first time he had experimented with magic mushrooms along with some his friends during a quiet get-together at the apartment he shared with his girlfriend, Rachel Priest.
He bought the mushrooms legally from The Hemp Store on Capel Street in Dublin a few days beforehand.
He bought six punnets, at a cost of €90, Ms Priest told the court. "If that shop hadn't been there then we wouldn't have bothered getting them," Ms Priest added.
The court also heard that on the day of his death, Mr Hodkinson looked up internet websites for information on the best way to consume the magic mushrooms.
Shane O'Reilly described his friend as "happy-go-lucky, always smiling. Everything was going well. He was at the happiest time of his life and full of plans for the future". Mr Hodkinson was "relaxed" until about 20 minutes after he ate the mushrooms, when he became very agitated. He said his friend and Ms Priest believed he had a rash but that they were both hallucinating as no such rash was visible.
The inquest heard that Mr Hodkinson ate about three of the mushrooms.