MOTHER TELLS OF TRYING TO HELP SON ON HEROIN

The mother of a 15-year-old boy who died of a heroin overdose yesterday
described to an inquest her efforts to help him.

Duke Brady, of North Circular Road, Dublin, was found partially clothed on
a sofa in a basement room of his home last September 26th. He was
pronounced dead on admission to the Mater Hospital and a post-mortem
examination showed he had died of a heroin overdose.

In a statement read to the court, Mrs Patricia Brady said Duke was the
eldest of her five children. When he was in third year in school in
Dunshaughlin she became aware he was smoking hashish. When they moved to
Dublin she was told he was using methadone and Roche. She took him to the
Coolmine centre and Trinity Court.

"I found out once he had injected himself and I took him to Sister
Consilio's and then to St Loman's and then to St Brendan's. I was told he
was not addicted. He was only experimenting. I took him everywhere but I
could not get anything done for him. I also took him to Temple Street
Hospital," she said in her deposition.

Mrs Brady added she watched Duke closely while taking him to football
training and collecting him afterwards. On the night before he was found
dead he went downstairs to the basement flat to a room where he listened to
music. He kissed her goodnight and said he loved her. There was nothing
unusual in this, she stated.

Next morning when she went to call him she got no reply. When they went
into the flat they found Duke sitting on a couch but he was cold to touch.

Mrs Brady was not in the coroner's court but her husband, Martin Brady,
wept as her statement was read.

Sgt Philip Coffey, Bridwell Garda Station, said he found a spoon, a shoe
lace and a bottle of malt vinegar on the floor near Duke. A syringe and
needle were later found in his jacket pocket. Duke was dressed in boxer
shorts with a jacket draped over his shoulders when he was found.

A pathologist Dr Cian Muldoon said death was due to an opiate overdose.

Recording a verdict of death by misadventure, the Dublin City Coroner, Dr
Brian Farrell, said this was another tragic death due to heroin. "This is a
very serious problem in this city at this time. We have had reason to refer
to this situation in the corner's court on a number of occasions recently."
He sympathised with the youth's family.