More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
A stag party trip to Amsterdam ended in tragedy when reveller Luke Egan died after snorting cocaine in a hotel.
Relatives of the 28-year-old, who had attended Chatham House School in Ramsgate, have been waiting for answers to a mystery for more than 10 years.
Mr Egan died in hospital after Dutch police arrested him on October 3, 2004.
New north-east Kent coroner Judge Alan Blunsdon finally heard evidence in the inquest on Mr Egan, which was opened nearly 11 years ago.
“Pauli was making weird screaming sounds and grabbing the bunk bed. It was crazy behaviour. It was alien to us" - Kenny Adii
Mr Egan was arrested outside the Hotel Centrum in Amsterdam after ‘flipping out’ on cocaine in his room. He bought the drug from a taxi driver he met shortly after arriving in the city.
His friend, Kenny Adii, tried to calm him down shortly before Dutch riot police, popularly known as Storm Troopers, turned up.
Mr Adii was in his room with Mr Egan and their friend Pauli Adolph. Mr Egan and Mr Adolph snorted a line of cocaine each and both had an adverse reaction.
Mr Adii said: “Pauli was making weird screaming sounds and grabbing the bunk bed. It was crazy behaviour. It was alien to us.
“At first, Luke was totally calm but then he went crazy as well. He said: ‘I’ve had enough. I can’t do it any more. Let’s jump out of the window and kill ourselves.’”
Mr Adii then stopped Mr Egan from following through on his suggestion.
Mr Adii said: “He started throwing things at me. He swung a punch at me in the face. I’m holding on to him. He knocked my mobile phone out of my hand. As we got to the door, he dived head first down the stairs.”
The men rolled out into the street, and Mr Adii was still trying to restrain his friend when the police arrived. They had already arrested Pauli Adolph, who had been running along an alleyway shouting.
Mr Adii said: “They started pepper-spraying us and hitting us with batons. I calmed Luke right down. I told the police that as far as I knew he’d taken cocaine and magic mushrooms. I knew Luke was anti-police and he would resist.
“They were trying to handcuff him. I had to grab his hand and put it behind his back. He said: ‘I thought you were meant to be my friend.’ That was the last thing he said to me” - Kenny Adii
“They were trying to handcuff him. I had to grab his hand and put it behind his back. He said: ‘I thought you were meant to be my friend.’ That was the last thing he said to me.”
Mr Adii, who wanted to know whether his friend would get medical attention, tried to go to the local police station with him but officers wouldn’t allow him to do so.
It took six officers to arrest Mr Egan, who was also put in leg cuffs.
The police officers put him face down inside a people carrier, and two of them knelt on his legs.
Inspector Marco Knip said Mr Egan was taken to a detention room and placed on a plastic mattress.
As officers tried to get the leg cuffs off, Mr Egan became weaker and they realised something was wrong. They gave him heart massage when he went into a coma.
Constable Daniel De Boer said he was driving the people carrier when it arrived at the police station, and saw a medical examiner trying to drive out.
He said he had a man who needed medical attention in his vehicle but the doctor refused to help.
The officer said: “The doctor came across as somebody who wasn’t interested in our predicament.”
An ambulance was called but Mr Egan died in the intensive care unit of a nearby hospital.
Mr Adolph said Mr Egan spent between £100 and £150 on cocaine.
Mr Egan’s mother, Angela Bell, said her son had a thriving business, a great future and a loving wife and daughter.
She said: “The Dutch police failed Luke. It’s a salutary lesson to those who partake in recreational drugs or drink too much alcohol. Luke behaved very stupidly on that stag weekend.”
Retired detective superintendent Mick Judge went to Holland but wasn’t allowed to talk to any of the officers involved.
But he saw Mr Egan’s body, and said it had 200 bruises on it.
Mr Judge said: “If he had been calmed down, then I would query whether reasonable force was used.”
The inquest continues.
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