Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Drink & drugs helped cause death of man after pal row
COCAINE and alcohol contributed to the death of a man allegedly killed by his close friend, the High Court heard yesterday.
A judge said the manslaughter charge against John Mccomb may have to be reconsidered following a pathologist’s report into how Paul Curran died in March.
However, he still refused to grant the 37-year-old bail due to the risk of further offences.
The body of Mr Curran, 29, was discovered when paramedics were called to an address at Manor Drive in Lurgan, Co Armagh.
Mccomb, of Woodville Street in the town, was arrested a short time later – having allegedly changed his clothes.
The court heard he accepted being in a minor altercation with Mr Curran but denied inflicting any fatal blows.
His bail application was previously adjourned for expert opinion on whether the cause of death was down to excessive drugs or a traumatic brain injury from an assault.
The prosecutor revealed a pathologist concluded a combination of cocaine and alcohol were likely to have caused Mr Curran’s collapse but did not rule out an altercation being a contributory factor.
The PPS is now due to consult with the pathologist about his report. A PILE of junk is dumped in front of a block of flats ahead of “internment bonfires”.
The rubbish, which includes old shopping trollies and a sofa, has been left near Finn House in the New Lodge area of North Belfast.
The mess appeared ahead of next month’s fires which are linked to anti-internment protests.
Sinn Fein councillor JJ Magee said: “The community have made it clear they don’t want these bonfires and in the wake of Grenfell Tower the danger they pose is pretty clear.”