Death of young, healthy Waterford man days after receiving covid vaccine 'baffling', inquest hears

She “could not rule in or could not rule out” if Mr Butler’s death was linked to the Johnson & Johnson covid vaccine, which he received on August 12, 2021.

A “paucity” of scientific data in the area meant a direct causal link could neither be established nor ruled out.

But she said the case should be referred to the National Drugs Advisory Board.

“The case of a spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage is extremely rare for a young man,” Dr Bolster said.

“In 20,000 autopsies, I can only think of one to two and they were in older persons.

“It is extremely rare for spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage with absolutely no underlying abnormality.

“This is baffling,” she told Cork Coroner's Court on Thursday.

No abnormalities were found at autopsy that could be linked to a large bleed he suffered in the left side of his brain, with bleeding also into the membrane over the brain.

The bleed would cause intercranial pressure, pushing the brain down to the brain stem — which controls the heart and breathing. That pressure on the brain stem would then cause coma and death, she said.

But no cause of the spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage could be found, she said.

No heart or vascular abnormalities were found and there were no signs of gastrointestinal abnormalities.

Mr Butler had not used cocaine — which can cause spontaneous brain bleeds. There was no evidence of trauma or anatomical malformation or history of hypertension.

His blood platelets — which are involved in clotting — had been normal. Although some adverse clotting reactions were recorded by Janssen following the Covid vaccine, these always came with low platelet levels — something Mr Butler had not suffered from.

She found no evidence of an allergic reaction to the vaccine and no evidence of any bleeding disorder.

She sent Mr Butler’s brain for in-depth analyses by a neuropathologist.

Mr Butler, aged 23, of O'Reilly Rd, Waterford, repeatedly said he felt “shook” and unwell after receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine on August 12, 2021.

He texted friends and family over the following days, saying he felt “fucked” after it, reporting headaches, grogginess, sweating, a sore jaw and sore neck.

“I’m not dying, I’m just not well,” he texted on August 14, 2021.

But he suffered a catastrophic brain bleed on August 16, 2021, and died the next day.

“Roy was a perfectly healthy young boy before the vaccine,” his mother Angela Butler told the court.

“He was perfect, he got this injection, then he wasn’t perfect.”

Ciara Davin, BL, barrister for the Butler family, said that Janssen data had showed that some 400 people had suffered brain bleeds following the vaccine.

Yet Janssen had concluded that there was insufficient evidence to link the brain bleeds to the Johson & Johnson covid vaccine, a decision they said the European Medicines Agency agreed with.

Ms Davin called for a verdict of medical misadventure.

She said that “on the balance of probabilities” Mr Butler’s intracerebral haemorrhage was caused by the vaccine.

“All I’m asking is to apply common sense. There was a link to him getting vaccinated and suffering a catastrophic brain bleed.

“We know Roy attributed all his symptoms to the vaccine and nothing else.

“We have a voice from beyond the grave –the voice of Roy Butler himself.

“He was effectively documenting his own demise in texts to friends.

“He provided us with his symptoms, the timeline and what caused it."

With “no agenda” against Janssen, he attributed his illness to the vaccine, she said.

He had sent “honest and innocent messages” to friends and family saying that he felt very unwell following the vaccine.

“He did not know that he was going to die, she said.

“What words can be more compelling than the words of a dying man?” 

His last communication on this earth was calling to his mother for help, Ms Davin said.

This vaccine had a known risk of vascular coagulation disorders and the mRNA vaccine had been recommended over it by the FDA, she said.

Although Mr Butler had not suffered the specific coagulation or vascular disorders listed as risks associated with the vaccine, he did suffer a vascular event, she said.

“These vaccines were rushed out in emergency circumstances” and the understanding and research is still evolving, she said.

This is a case where science abandoned us, she said.

John Lucey, SC, barrister for Jannsen, said that Mr Butler’s death was “a shocking tragedy” which anyone in court could not help but be impacted by.

But the emotion must be detached from the event when considering the case, he said.

“The medical evidence was unable to establish any link between the vaccine and the death of Roy Butler,” he said.

Coroner Philip Comyn said that much testimony had been heard over the three-day inquest, some of which had been very complicated.

He said he would take some time to consider the verdict. Unusually, he said he would not deliver that verdict in person but would email both legal teams with his considered verdict, hopefully next week.

He extended his sympathy to the Butler family “on the tragic loss of Roy” and commended them on their conduct throughout the inquest.

He also thanked employees at Janssen who had come from the US to assist in the inquest.

Speaking outside court, Mr Butler’s brother, Aaron butler, thanked those who supported the family over the past three years “and to the people of Waterford who carried us through and helped keep Roy’s memory alive.” “Roy was my brother, he was a loving son that lived for his family and friends.

“He made lasting impressions on anyone who met him.

“He was caring, positive and content. Three words that are constantly used to describe Roy are “the full package.” “We know he took the Johsnon & Johsnon vaccine on 12 August 2021 and his health deteriorated until he passed on the 17th August, 2021.

“We now await the verdict of the coroner.” The family appealed for privacy at this time.