found dead on a German motorway after spending five days at far-right
cult conference did not commit suicide, a coroner today ruled.
Coroner Andrew Walker ruled out conspiracy theories that Jeremiah Duggan had been beaten to death and dumped at a “staged-managed” crash site on the outskirts of Wiesbaden in March 2003 after attending a five-day conference organised by extremist group LaRouche. Mr Walker concluded that Mr Duggan, from Golders Green, north London, died after being hit by a Peugeot 406 before being run over by Volkswagen Golf. Overruling a previous verdict of “suicide by means of traffic accident”, Mr Walker said Mr Duggan could have died fleeing the far-right group where it is claimed he was identified as a “spy”. Recording a narrative verdict at North London Coroner's Court, Mr Walker said: “Against the background of the start of the Iraq war together with Mr Duggan expressing that he was a Jew, British and questioning the material put before him may have had a bearing on Mr Duggan’s death in the sense that it may have put Mr Duggan at risk from members of the organisation and caused Mr Duggan to become distressed and seek to leave. “There are a number of unexplained injuries that suggest that Mr Duggan may have been involved in an altercation at some stage before his death. On hearing the verdict Mr Duggan’s mother Erica Duggan, who has spent 12 years battling to find out what happened to her son, said: “Justice, we just want justice,” before having to be consoled by friends and family
. In
a statement read outside court, the family said: “We are disappointed
that in the face of six separate British and European independent
experts covering the fields of pathology and forensic analysis, the
coroner preferred the disputed evidence relied upon by the German
authorities. “The pressure should now be put upon the German authorities to ensure this powerful
and dramatic narrative verdict leads to deeper investigation in the
country where Jeremiah was killed, including the role played by the
LaRouche organisation. “We hope Jeremiah's legacy will be that the strong message that such extremist organisations exist which target university students for recruitment has been heard so that the dangers they pose can be avohttp://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/jeremiah-duggan-inquest-london-student-found-dead-in-germany-could-have-died-fleeing-farright-group-10268117.html
