The Dublin City Coroner, Dr Brian Farrell, yesterday told the distressed family of a young heroin victim that he was compiling statistics on drug-related deaths for presentation to the relevant authorities.
Dr Farrell was responding to a request from Mr Anthony Bolger, who asked him to call on the Government to step up the fight against drugs.
Mr Bolger, whose partner's 22year-old son died of a heroin overdose on September 30th, 1997, pointed out there had been two inquests into the drug-related deaths of two young men during the afternoon. "How many broken-hearted mothers do we have to have here before something is done?" he asked.
Dr Farrell, in sympathising with the family, said there was an increasing number of deaths from drugs in the city. "It is a cause of great concern. Almost every week we are holding inquests into the deaths of young people as a result of drugs," he said.
He added that the coroner's office was compiling statistics on all deaths, including drug-related deaths and the drugs involved in them, and he hoped he would be in a position to present statistics to the relevant authorities at the end of the year.
An inquest into the death of Mr Elton Cahill (22), son of Mr Bolger's partner, of Bridgefoot Street, Dublin, heard that he had collapsed after injecting heroin in a friend's apartment at Oliver Bond Flats on September 30th last. They had shared a £20 bag of heroin. He was dead on arrival at the Meath Hospital.
A post-mortem examination showed he died of an overdose of drugs, including heroin and prescribed anti-depressants and sedatives. The coroner recorded a verdict of death by misadventure.
Earlier, an inquest heard how a 17-year-old youth collapsed at the toilet in St Stephen's Green after "shooting up" heroin, which he had purchased earlier in O'Connell Street.
Mr Patrick Joyce, of Pigeon House Road, Dublin, died at the Meath Hospital on May 7th, 1997, four days after taking the drug.
His sister, Ms Bridget Joyce, said she and her brother bought a bag of heroin in O'Connell Street. She believed he had not used the drug before and she asked him to smoke it, but he insisted on having a "turn-on" or injection.
He put a belt around his arm and despite her further protests had her inject him. He collapsed immediately and she ran to call the emergency services. He was taken to the Meath Hospital but never regained consciousness.
A post-mortem examination showed that death was due to an overdose of opiates and sedatives.
Having heard evidence that Mr Joyce was on temporary release from St Patrick's Institution at the time of his death, the coroner adjourned the case until June 25th to allow him to empanel a jury as is required under the Coroners Act following the death of a person in custody.