The man who found James Bulger‘s body very likely swallowed packages of drugs before his death in custody, an inquest found.
James Riley was arrested on suspicion of drug offences near Chapel Gardens, Liverpool, on March 14, 2023.
The 44-year-old, who had been confined in a cell overnight, was found lying on the floor and later pronounced dead at Royal Liverpool University Hospital the next evening.
His cause of death was cocaine and heroin toxicity, senior coroner Andre Rebello concluded at a jury inquest held at the Gerard Majella courthouse in Kirkdale.
Mr Riley had endured an ‘extremely traumatic incident’ as a teenager, in which he found the body of murdered toddler James, the Liverpool Echo revealed after the inquest.
The inquest explored whether medical assessments of Mr Riley – carried out at the police station – and the decision not to take him to hospital prior to his collapse added to his cause of death, the Echo reported.
Opening the case this month, Mr Rebello told the jury that Mr Riley was arrested shortly before 10pm by two officers.
James Riley, 44, (pictured) was arrested on suspicion of drug offences near Chapel Gardens, Liverpool, on March 14, 2023
He was transported to St Anne Street Police Station, where his detention was authorised.
The custody sergeant ruled Mr Riley was intoxicated and he was placed on a rest period until the next morning.
He was seen by a healthcare professional shortly before 10am, who noted his presentation implied he possibly self-medicated in custody.
A strip search was then authorised but nothing was found in Mr Riley’s possession. He was placed on another rest period of four hours and was was removed shortly after 2pm.
He was returned to his cell at 3.22pm, before a detention officer spotted him lying on the floor just before 5pm.
An ambulance was called and the man was rushed to the Royal Liverpool University Hospital for 5.47pm.
He reportedly arrived in cardiac arrest and was sadly pronounced dead at 6.15pm.
Mr Riley had endured an ‘extremely traumatic incident’ as a teenager, in which he found the body of murdered toddler James Bulger (pictured), the Liverpool Echo revealed after the inquest
A post-mortem examination found three packages of heroin in Mr Riley’s stomach, as well as a small block of unpackaged crack cocaine.
His mother Julie Riley said that after he found the toddler James’s body, ‘he should have had support from Merseyside Police, but he was forgotten about’.
Mrs Riley added that after the experience her son ‘got involved with the wrong crowd’, adding: ‘It’s hard to get out once you are in it.’
Jon Venables and Robert Thompson, both aged 10, snatched innocent two-year-old James from outside a butcher’s shop in Bootle, Merseyside.
After abducting James, the pair led the toddler on a two-and-a-half mile walk from the city of Liverpool to a village called Walton.
On their way to the village, the three were seen by 38 people, two of whom queried the boys as the young boy was in tears with a bump on his head.
Later the pair brutally tortured and killed the toddler, leaving James’ mutilated body to be found two days later on a railway line in Walton.
