The Five Demands

A rivelarlo un coroner di Belfast, che smentisce così un attacco epilettico come causa della morte

Morfina, codeina, diazepam è il cocktail di sostanze stupefacienti rilevate dall’Assistente patologo Dott. Peter Ingram nel sangue del prominente lealista Ihab Shoukri, fratello di Andre Shoukri, arrestato 15 volte tra il 2003 e il 2006.
Uscito di galera nel novembre del 2008 con l’ammissione di appartenenza all’UDA, Ihab Shoukri fu rinvenuto cadavere nella sua casa, esattamente un anno più tardi. Stava guardando un incontro di box alla televisione con il suo amico Stephen Green, quando la sua compagna Emma Ritchie si accorse che l’uomo non respirava. Era il 23 novembre 2009.
Peter Ingram ha oggi dichiarato che la composizione della morfina fa pensare al consumo di eroina. Nessun segno di iniezione, ciò può significare solamente che la sostanza stupefaciente fu sniffata.
“Sono state l’eroina e la morfina non puri”, ha dichiarato l’assistente patologo
“Si può ragionevolmente concludere che è stato l’effetto di questi farmaci, a portare allo sviluppo di polmonite”, cancellando con un colpo di spugna l’iniziale convinzione che Ihab fosse morto in seguito ad una crisi epilettica.
I livelli di morfina probabilmente non sarebbero stati sufficienti ad uccidere Shoukri se non combinata con altri farmaci.
A questo proposito interviene Caterina Shoukri, madre della vittima, che ha raccontato come il figlio soffrisse di problemi persistenti ad un’orecchio come conseguenza di una caduta.  Dovuto a questo l’utilizzo di codeina e di diapezam come tranquillante.

Ihab Shoukri died from drugs cocktail, inquest finds (BBC News Northern Ireland)
Leading loyalist Ihab Shoukri died from a cocktail of drugs, a Belfast coroner has found.
Mr Shoukri, a senior member of the UDA was found dead by his partner at his north Belfast home in November 2008.
His family have disputed the coroner’s finding, drawing attention to a history of suffering fits.
The 34-year-old, from Grainon Way in Rathcoole, had been released from prison in the summer of 2008 after admitting UDA membership.
He had been watching televised boxing with his friend Stephen Green when his girlfriend discovered him not breathing in the early hours of 23 November.
Mr Green denied knowing of any drug use and Shoukri’s partner Emma Ritchie said she was also unaware of anything illegal.
There was no evidence of substance abuse in the house following the death, police said.
Mr Shoukri’s brother and fellow loyalist Andre was in court for the hearing but left before the end.
Ms Ritchie said he had been “terrible” on the day of his death but against her advice played football.
‘Not pure morphine’
He suffered 15 seizures between 2003 and 2006 but doctors had been unable to determine the cause and he had not been attending appointments.
Assistant state pathologist Dr Peter Ingram discovered morphine, codeine and diazepam in his blood after death and said the composition of the morphine led him to conclude it had been as a result of heroin use.
There was no evidence of injection so he said it was likely it had been smoked.
“It was heroin and not pure morphine,” he said.
He added: “It would seem reasonable to conclude that it was the effect of these drugs which led to the development of pneumonia.”
He said if the victim had died from an epileptic fit there would probably have been little signs to cause death and no pneumonia.
In Mr Shoukri’s case there would have been a gradual loss of consciousness from the effects of the drugs and the onset of pneumonia, the medic added.
Dr Ingram said: “To attribute death to a seizure one has to exclude other conditions. In this instance because the pneumonia was present you could not have reached that conclusion.”
Persistent health issues
The levels of morphine on their own would probably not have been enough to kill Shoukri but when combined with other drugs was fatal, the pathologist added.
Shoukri’s mother, Catherine Shoukri, told the inquest her son suffered persistent health issues after a fall left him with ear problems.
These health problems were responsible for the use of codeine and as he worried about his family diazepam would have been used to calm him.
Mrs Shoukri added: “I was not aware of any other drug use.”
Coroner Brian Sherrard said: “The use of illicit drugs in our society has become really endemic and has led to the premature deaths of many young people with their full lives ahead of them.”