Mr Butler (23) died from a massive brain bleed just five days after receiving a Covid-19 vaccine.
Cork Coroner Philip Comyn described the August 2021 death of the talented footballer as “tragic and heart-breaking” after he only opted for a Covid-19 vaccine so he could accompany friends to Dubai on a holiday.
Mr Comyn delivered a narrative verdict after a three-day inquest last month heard a pathologist cannot rule in or rule out any potential link to the Covid-19 jab.
The coroner made three recommendations when returning a narrative verdict.
These include that: “all appropriate (health) bodies consider whether an information campaign should be undertaken firstly to inform the general public of the need to report adverse reactions to vaccines,
“Secondly to inform the general public as to whom they should report these adverse reactions,
“And, thirdly, the HSE and all medical and professional bodies be reminded of the need to insure such adverse reactions are noted and reported promptly to the relevant authorities.”
The Butler family said they wanted time to reflect on the coroner’s recommendations.
They had been seeking a verdict of death by medical misadventure.
Mr Comyn had considered his verdict in the case for the past two weeks.
The coroner returned the narrative verdict as he said Mr Butler was previously a fit and healthy young man who received the Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) vaccine on August 12 2021.
“Mr Butler did not fit into any of the groups for which a Covid-19 vaccine was particularly recommended and attended for the vaccine purely as he wished to take a trip later that year to Dubai with his friends and the Covid-19 vaccination was a prerequisite to entry to that country at the time,” Mr Comyn outlined in his ruling.
“During the course of August 12 to 16, 2021, Roy Butler complained of feeling unwell and being shook, sweating and headache.
“On August 16, Roy Butler came home from the gym early and went to his bedroom having told his mother he felt unwell. Approximately 10 minutes later he texted his mother asking her to come up to his bedroom straight away.
“His mother found him trying to retch in a basket and when his father then came up he was no longer responding to voices and began convulsions.
“An ambulance was called and Roy was given a tablet to stabilise the convulsions and initially transferred to University Hospital Waterford (UHW). From there he was transferred to Cork University Hospital (CUH) where he was pronounced dead on August 17, 2021.
“The cause of death was spontaneous cerebral haemorrhage.”
The Butler family said they have been overwhelmed by support following Roy’s tragic death.
“As a family we feel it was important that Roy’s death was the subject of a coroner’s inquest, and it highlights the vital role it has in our society as a fact finding inquiry.” a family statement said.
“It allowed us the opportunity to understand more about the vaccine and discover whether there were other adverse events associated with it.”
“In the lead up to the inquest, we received a report from Johnson & Johnson identifying 59 people who suffered intracranial haemorrhage within 10 days of receiving the vaccine.
“During evidence, another investigation revealed within 28 days of receiving the vaccine, 36 young adults suffered an intracranial bleed after the first dose, while two others suffered a bleed after a booster dose. This was from an initial pool of 400 recipients of the vaccine.
“Dr Margaret Bolster, Assistant State Pathologist, said that in 20,000 autopsies, she had never come across a situation where she could not ascertain the cause of death of such a young person, and that a causal link to the vaccine cannot be established or ruled out.
“We are grateful for the support from friends and family throughout the three days the inquest ran, as well as the support from around the country. We will take the time now to reflect on the verdict and the coroner’s recommendations.”
Roy’s brother, Aaron, speaking after the hearing last month while flanked by his parents, Martin and Angela, paid tribute to those who have supported them and who “helped keep Roy’s memory alive”.
“Roy was my brother, he was a loving son that lived for his family and friends and left a lasting impression on anyone he met.”
“He was caring, positive and confident – three words that are constantly used to describe Roy was ‘the complete package.’ We know he took the Johnson & Johnson vaccine on August 12 2021 and his health deteriorated until he passed on August 17 2021.
Johnson & Johnson, the firm that made the Janssen vaccine, insisted there was “insufficient evidence” to link brain bleeds with the jab – and that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) agreed with their findings.
Roy suffered an 8.1cm haemorrhage which inflicted devastating brain damage.
Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster and Neuro-Pathologist Dr Niamh Bermingham that the precise cause and origin of the fatal brain bleed could not be established.
Dr Bolster performed a post mortem examination at CUH on August 18 2021 and acknowledged it was a “baffling case”.
The inquest heard that two women died in the US in similar circumstances to Roy Butler – both within days of receiving the vaccine.
Two senior executives with Johnson & Johnson insisted they did not have an overall global figure for how many people had died within 28 days of taking the vaccine.
The inquest heard that 60 people worldwide – including Roy Butler – who received the Janssen-Johnson & Johnson vaccine suffered intracranial brain bleeds though not all were fatal.
The pharmaceutical company, which said it learned of Mr Butler’s death via social media, launched an investigation in 2022 after multiple reports of haemorrhage incidents.
Over 400 reports were examined before the number of incidents of cerebral haemorrhage within 28 days of the vaccine were noted at 36 after the original jab and two more after the booster jab.
Janssen-Johnson & Johnson said it reported its findings to the EMA and they concurred that there was “insufficient evidence to establish a causal link between the spontaneous bleeds and the vaccine.”
The US firm no longer markets the vaccine.
In a series of text and social media messages sent to seven different family members and friends in the four days after he received the vaccine, Roy said he didn’t feel well and was suffering from headaches, grogginess, sweating as well as jaw and neck soreness.
In one message, sent just 48 hours before his death, the young man reassured a friend: “I am not dying…I am just not well.”
Roy’s mother, Angela, told the inquest that: “Roy was a perfectly healthy young man before the vaccine…I just want the truth about Roy to be known. He was my baby boy. He was perfect, he got the injection and then he wasn’t (perfect).”
His father, Martin, warned that the family simply wanted the truth of what happened to be known.
On August 12, Roy messaged a friend that: “I feel f***ed. I have to go back to work.”
Another friend received a message: “Good bro – got my jab yesterday. Bit shook at the moment.”
“I’m f***ed after the vaccine. I’m just not well.”
Just 48 hours before his death, Roy messaged one friend that: “I’m not dying – I’m just not well. The vaccine has me shook.”
Another text said he felt “mental” after the vaccine.
