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Student Jeremiah Duggan 'seduced by LaRouche cult' Student Jeremiah Duggan's death not suicide, coroner rules
(about 2 hours later)
A British student who apparently killed himself in Germany had been "seduced" by a right-wing cult opposed to his Jewish faith, an inquest heard. A British student found dead on a German motorway did not kill himself, a coroner has ruled.
Jeremiah Duggan, 22, from north London, was found dead on a motorway near Wiesbaden in March 2003. Jeremiah Duggan's revelation to members of a far-right organisation he was a British Jew "may have had a bearing on his death", coroner Andrew Walker said.
He had been to an "extreme right-wing" conference where he was allegedly shunned for being British and Jewish. Following his death in 2003, German police had said Mr Duggan, 22, of north London, took his own life, prior to the start of a fresh inquest this week.
German police had said his death was "a suicide by means of a traffic accident". But, this was "totally rejected" by Mr Walker at Barnet Coroner's Court.
A new inquest was ordered in 2010 after judges at the High Court said possible foul play must be investigated. Recording a narrative verdict, Mr Walker accepted Mr Duggan "received fatal injuries [in] a collision with two cars" on a road near Wiesbaden.
'Sucked in' Twelve-year battle
Barrister Anthony Metzer, representing the family, told Barnet Coroner's Court: "Jeremiah Duggan was seduced into this organisation on the pretext it was a leftist movement. But, he said there were also a "number of unexplained injuries" suggesting there might have been an "altercation at some stage before his death".
"He was sucked in and revealed himself to the group to be a British Jew who had been to the Tavistock and was then rejected by the movement, who saw him as a spy and, as a result, actions may have been taken." Theories Mr Duggan's death had been staged however, were dismissed by Mr Walker, who confirmed driver testimony the student tried to run in front of traffic on the night he died.
Tavistock is a clinic in the UK where Mr Duggan went for counselling after his parents' divorce. It had been suggested on the first day of the inquest the crash had been a "constructed set-up".
Former French MP and cult expert Catherine Picard told the court Mr Duggan might have been "under the control of the organisation LaRouche" at the time of his death. In the days leading up to his death, Mr Duggan had attended a conference run by a right-wing organisation called LaRouche.
'Cult movement' Mr Walker's verdict acknowledged that revealing he was a British Jew at the conference might have put him at risk, leaving him feeling distressed.
Speaking through a translator, she said that LaRouche's knowledge of Mr Duggan's British and Jewish identity could have caused suspicion about his integrity and commitment to the organisation "[But] I totally reject that this was a suicide," he said.
"This movement in itself has one particular peculiarity: that it bases all its arguments in politics, which is very attractive to young people who perhaps, quite generously, think they are subscribing to a left-wing movement," said Ms Picard. A second inquest was ordered in 2010 after High Court judges said possible foul play must be investigated.
"It is not a political movement; it is a cult movement." 'New, deeper investigation'
She described how the organisation attempted to isolate people by confusing them, leaving them "overwhelmed" by its ideas. The latest verdict follows a 12-year battle by his family to have the original ruling overturned the suicide verdict in Germany.
Ms Picard added LaRouche could have exploited his vulnerabilities due to his geographical isolation in Germany, away from his family and girlfriend. After the hearing Mr Duggan's mother Erica, vowed to fight on.
In a statement read out in court, she said: "It should be noted that members of this organisation undergo significant psychological pressure and part of the psychological pressure is being subjected to repeated conspiracy theories and anti-Semitic discourse." "I'm not sure I will do it through the justice system because I would like to think very hard about whether or not the kind of investigations that have gone on in Germany and also in Britain have led me to find out how my son really died," she said.
The inquest continues. Mr Duggan's family said they were disappointed the coroner preferred the disputed evidence relied upon by the German authorities but thanked the coroner for his verdict.
They called for the German authorities to open a new, deeper investigation, including examining the role played by the LaRouche organisation.