Mother slams ‘disgusting’ way she was told of her son’s death

A heartbroken mother told Wexford Coroner’s Court that the way in which she was told of her son’s death was ‘downright disgusting’. Owen McCole (36), Apartment 3, 20 Lower George’s Street, Wexford died at his home on August 30, 2016.

Inspector Pat McDonald read the deposition of Mr McCole’s friend and neighbour, Stephen Hall, who said that at 8.30 a.m. on August 30 he had called to visit Mr McCole. He knocked and called to him but only heard muffled sounds and left saying he would return later.

He went back at 9.40 a.m. and heard the same noises. He told Mr McCole to open the door or he would knock it down then he heard the door unlocking but said he still had to force the door open.

He said this caused Mr McCole to collapse on to the couch. Mr Hall said he could see that Mr McCole was under pressure and tried to put a pillow under his head.

Mr Hall said he went his own apartment, to get his phone to call for help and when he returned Mr McCole wasn’t breathing so he started chest compressions.

Garda Patrick O’Keeffe said that when he arrived he searched the apartment and found an empty methadone bottle which was prescribed to Mr McCole.

Pathologist at Waterford Regional Hospital, Dr Maurice Murphy, said Mr McCole showed signs of adult respiratory distress syndrome.

Death, he said, was caused by an overdose of tranquilisers and methadone which was worsened by acute adult respiratory distress syndrome.

Mr McCole’s mother queried the length of time Mr McCole had the lung condition, to which Dr Murphy said it would have only have occurred between two and four days prior to his death.

Mrs McCole then said ‘ the way I was broke the news was downright disgusting. There was no liasion officer and I was told over the phone. It’s disgusting.’

County Coroner Dr Sean Nixon said he would note that and she told him to ‘note it, not just for me but for other parents’.

He recommended that the jury of six men return a verdict of misadventure, saying that Mr McCole had taken ‘an unnecessary risk with his life but never had any intention of causing himself harm’.

He sympathised with the McCole family on their tragic loss saying it ‘is difficult to come to terms with and maybe you never will’.

Foreman of the jury, Billy Morris, and Inspector Pat McDonald also extended sympathy to the family on behalf of the jury and gardai respectively.