Roy Butler inquest: 'We have a voice from beyond the grave... He was documenting his own demise'
“Roy was my brother, he was a loving son that lived for his family and friends"
Ciara Davin, BL, barrister for Roy Butler's family, said that Janssen data had showed that some 400 people had suffered brain bleeds following the Covid-19 vaccine.
Yet Jannsen had concluded that there was insufficient evidence to link the brain bleeds to the Johnson & Johnson Covid vaccine, a decision they said the European Medicines Agency agreed with.
Ms Davin called for a verdict of medical misadventure.
She was speaking at the conclusion of the inquest into the death of Roy Butler, a 23-year-old soccer player from Waterford city, who had been fit and healthy before his sudden death in August 2021.
Ms Davin 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 Johnson & Johnson vaccine on August 12, 2021, and his health deteriorated until he passed on August 17, 2021.
“We now await the verdict of the coroner.”
The family appealed for privacy at this time.
