A 21-year-old man who died just hours after he attended the Swedish House Mafia concert in the Phoenix Park last year had taken a cocktail of cocaine and ecstasy in the hours before his death.
Shane Brophy from the Swan, Fairymount, Crettyard, Co Laois, died from the toxic effects of the drugs when he collapsed at a friend’s house in Lucan on July 8th last year, five hours after attending the controversial concert.
He was taken to Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown, where attempts to resuscitate him failed.
At the opening of the inquest into his death at Dublin Coroner’s Court yesterday, Adrian Brophy, brother of the deceased, gave evidence that he identified the body to gardaí at the AE department in Connolly.
Carmel and Liam Brophy, parents of the deceased, were present in court, supported by other family members.
Shane Brophy was the youngest of eight brothers and sisters.
Giving the cause of death, coroner Dr Brian Farrell said the toxicology report carried out as part of the postmortem indicated Mr Brophy had used cocaine and an “ecstasy-type drug”.
He described the levels in the dead man’s system as being “significant” but told the family that both cocaine and ecstasy could be toxic regardless of the dose taken.
Garda inquiry
Mr Brophy died from the toxic effects of a combination of cocaine and ecstasy, he said.
Requesting an adjournment of the inquest, Insp John Burke of Blanchardstown Garda station told the coroner the Garda inquiry into Mr Brophy’s death was at a “pretty advanced stage”.
However, there were still inquiries to be carried out and “people to be interviewed and reinterviewed”, he said.
A file was being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions, he added.
Dr Farrell adjourned the inquest for further mention on a date in August.