Garda told father teen had taken 16 tablets, inquest told

A DETECTIVE Garda told Brian Rossiter’s father that Brian had taken 15 or 16 ecstasy tablets on the night before he was found in a coma in a police cell — even though toxicology tests later showed no evidence of drug taking, the inquest into the teenager’s 2002 death heard yesterday.

Pat Rossiter told the inquest at Cork City Coroner’s Court that when he arrived at St Joseph’s Hospital in Clonmel on the morning of September 11, 2002, he saw two gardaí in an unmarked car and a detective standing outside the car.

“He informed me that Brian wasn’t awake and he mentioned then an overdose of ecstasy and an amount of ecstasy,” Mr Rossiter said in his deposition which was read out in court.