Strychnine death first in decades, says pathologist

THE state pathologist told an inquest into the death of a young man who died of strychnine poisoning after collapsing at a facility for juvenile offenders that she had not dealt with a case of strychnine poisoning in three decades.

Anthony Kelly, 20, of Snowdrop Walk, Darndale, Dublin 17, was rushed by ambulance from St Patrick’s Institution, where he was an inmate, to the Mater Hospital shortly after 9pm on May 31, 2006, Dublin City Coroner’s Court heard.

State pathologist Professor Marie Cassidy, who carried out a postmortem, told the inquest that strychnine, a poison which was used in the past for poisoning rodents, was identified in Mr Kelly’s blood and in the gastric contents of his stomach and was responsible for his death.

There were no significant marks and injuries, no evidence of an assault and no evidence he had been a chronic or habitual drug user, the court heard.

“Samples showed he had taken strychnine, which is not available over-the-counter or on prescription.

“We don’t know how he got it,” she said.

“It’s very unusual. I had never dealt with a case of strychnine poisoning in 30 years.”

Strychnine was found at levels of 0.92 milligrams per litre in his blood.

Prof Cassidy said the effects of strychnine are very swift and usually are felt within 15 to 20 minutes of ingesting the drug.

The symptoms are non-specific and people become agitated and restless, the muscles of the back and neck stiffen, which is followed by twitching and tremors and progresses to muscle spasm and convulsions, which can be very painful, she said.

She agreed with Stephen Byrne SC, for the Irish Prison Service, that even the most experienced doctor would have difficulty identifying strychnine poisoning.

Strychnine poisoning causes respiratory failure and rhabdomyolysis; an acute, potentially fatal disease that destroys skeletal muscle. There is no antidote.

The last recorded death from the poison in the state was in 1982.

In other parts of the world the poison has been used as an adulterant of drugs like heroin and ecstasy, but no such drugs were identified in Mr Kelly’s system.

A heart drug, lignocaine, and a sedative drug, diazepam, were also found in the toxicology analysis and Prof Cassidy said they assumed the strychnine, lignocaine and diazepam could have been in the one tablet as there was no evidence that either of the latter drugs were administered in hospital (during resuscitation).

“My understanding was he had alerted them shortly after taking the tablets,” she said.

A member of Dublin Fire Brigade stationed at Phibsborough Fire Station, James O’Toole, told the inquest they received a call to go to St Patrick’s Institution just before 9pm on May 31 as an overdose had happened.

When they arrived they took over performing CPR on Mr Kelly from a medical officer and resuscitation attempts continued on the way to the hospital.

Mr Kelly was pronounced dead at the Mater Hospital at 9.37pm.

Anthony Kelly’s mother, Patricia Kelly, told the court that she arrived at the Mater Hospital at 10.05pm on the night of May 31, but was too upset to see her son until 10.30pm.

She then identified his body.

The Dublin city coroner, Dr Brian Farrell, adjourned the inquest into Mr Kelly’s death until a date in November.