THE family of a man who died of a drug overdose at a house party in Donegal have revealed how his final moments were captured in a “very disturbing” video.
James Devlin passed away on May 26 2018 after spending the night partying with four friends in Ballybofey.
An inquest held last week into Mr Devlin’s death heard how his pals plastered him in ketchup, mayonnaise, vinegar and pizza as he lay passed out on a sofa in the flat at Finn Farm. Unbeknown to them as they engaged in the prank and then uploaded their antics to social media, the 35-year-old was actually in the final throes of his life. He died a short time later as a result of multiple drug toxicity.
There was no third party involvement in the tragedy and coroner Dr Denis McCauley returned a finding of misadventure.
In court for the hearing were five of Mr Devlin’s sisters. Some of them wept as it was recalled how what was supposed to be a day spent with friends ended with their brother laying dead on a doorstep.
Natalie Devlin said that while her brother had led a troubled life, he was a talented and caring man with a heart of gold. And she said the photographs which appeared on Snapchat of him during what turned out to be his final moments will haunt her family forever.
Natalie said, “James was a gentleman and a family man who had a great love of animals. He had a heart of gold and anyone who new him knows he would have done anything for anyone.
“James was a recovering addict and well supported in his recovery by mental health teams and housing support services. Unfortunately on this particular day he has gone out and relapsed. Ultimately James took a cocktail of drugs and alcohol but he was also very clearly vulnerable.”
The late James Devlin who died at a house party in Donegal in 2018.
The Devlin family say that as well as consuming the opioid methadone, a drug he would not normally have taken, their brother self-harmed in the hours prior to his death. They also believe he was involved in an altercation at some point which left him with excessive bruising to his head and body.
Natalie said, “Nobody wants to talk about this but we do. The altercation didn’t kill him but we want to know why? None of this was discussed at the inquest and I guess it is irrelevant in a coroner’s court as it didn’t kill him, but for us as his family it is absolutely not irrelevant. It is the most distressing part of the story.”
At last week’s inquest a witness statement from a Laura Sheehan told the court that one of the men in the house had taken the sauce prank “completely over the top”. She said he had poured sauce into James’s mouth and put vinegar and pizza on his face. A photograph too graphic to publish shows James Devlin laying flat on his back outside a front door with his arms stretched out above his head. His face and torso are covered in what appear to be a variety of sauces and liquids. The caption attached to the image, alongside a crying with laughter emoji reads ‘Outa me gaff’.
“The video footage we have of this is unbelievable and very disturbing as they were all laughing while pouring sauce in his mouth and all over his body,” Natalie Devlin said.
“James was then physically moved from the couch he fell asleep on and dragged outside. We saw this on video. He was placed on a cold concrete step in a garden. These pictures and videos were uploaded at 4.44am and 5.18am on May 26 2018. We received a phone call in Glasgow at 8.23am and were informed of James’s death.”
In happier times…James and his sister Natalie.
Natalie said the Snapchats had left the family with an “indescribable anger”.
“Yes it was the drugs that killed him but could he have died in a more dignified way? Of course. It is no one’s fault that James took drugs but the fact is that he died in the most undignified way possible – on a cold concrete step.”
Natalie said the fact that no criminal charges have been brought in relation to her brother’s death is “very frustrating for the family to accept”.
“Our family is devastated. James was left to die in a totally undignified manner and the photos and videos that were uploaded to Snapchat have left scars that will never heal.
“When people are at house parties and having a good night, just please be aware of your actions. Saturating someone’s face in sauce was supposed to be a joke. But what has happened to us is no joke. Our family has been left absolutely heartbroken. James was left to die in a totally undignified manner and it will scar our family for the rest of our lives.”
Natalie Devlin said that in a time when mental health is rarely far from the headlines, it is important for people not to pass judgement on those who may be struggling.
“James was a talented, artistic boy, tormented by his mental ill health. Ultimately this is why he abused drugs in the way he did. In a time where mental ill health is so rife and people can be ignorant and judgmental, please be mindful of other people’s struggles behind closed doors.”
A Poem By James Devlin
October 18 1982 – May 26 2018 
Sometimes out the blue life takes a turn unexpected and there’s much to learn, much to earn
The price of life sittin’ in the dark when it hits the lights, hit’s the fan and it hits the fam, looking at my hands like here I am, how and why did we end up here, close our eyes and we say a prayer like I need God… need a super hero, I need help that can fly my way. I need an angel that can save me, I need a man with a bright red cape
Some people live and make it, other times we fall too hard. Sometimes we gather the strength to stand up and fight ‘til we BEAT the odds.
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