In an inquest into the death of a woman after an asthmatic attack, the South Mayo coroner, Mr John O'Dwyer, said he was still reserving his position after a key witness failed to appear before an inquest in Westport this week.
The witness, a homoeopath, had issued a statement to the Garda denying she had instructed the patient to stop taking her prescribed medicines.
The coroner's powers are limited as the maximum fine which can be imposed for failure to attend is £5. This compares to £1,000 for a similar offence in Northern Ireland and Britain. The Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform said last night a ministerial working group had recommended increasing fines here to £1,000 and legislation was being prepared.
The witness, Ms Mineke Kamper, a homoeopath based in Mulrany, Co Mayo, had been served with a summons to attend the inquest on November 15th, and the coroner wrote to her separately requesting her presence. She was also sent depositions before the inquest by Mr O'Dwyer, and a garda called on November 30th to remind her of the hearing.
The coroner confirmed yesterday that although Ms Kamper had been given four separate opportunities, both personally and in writing, she had declined on each occasion to attend the hearing, set for last Monday. It was the first time in 25 years that this had arisen for him, and he had been very anxious to ensure that the witness was represented.
Instead she issued the statement to the Garda in which she denied the claim made against her.
The patient, Ms Jacqueline Alderslade (55), of Hollymount, Co Mayo, died after an asthmatic attack on July 9th. In her diary, which was produced at Monday's inquest, she had recorded that Ms Kamper had advised her to give up the medication she had been taking for her condition except for a Ventolin inhaler. Ms Alderslade had begun seeing Ms Kamper in June.
Dr William O'Connor, a general practitioner in Hollymount, had told the inquest that Ms Alderslade had been his patient for five years and was on various types of medication, including cortisone.
The jury at Monday's inquest returned a verdict of accidental death in accordance with the medical evidence and recommended that persons considering alternative medication should only do so in consultation with their doctors.
Ms Kamper, who is a registered nurse in Ireland, was not available for comment yesterday.
In her diary, produced by her partner, Mr Fred Kermin, Ms Alderslade recorded having told Ms Kamper she was apprehensive about changing her treatment but Ms Kamper assured her she would "not let her die". She prescribed homoeopathic drops and pills which she said would replace the cortisone and said her asthma was due to emotional upset.
Four days after the visit, the deceased recorded in her diary that she was feeling very unwell, dizzy and light-headed.
Ms Alderslade died in her car less than a week later while driving to see Ms Kamper for a second appointment.
Mr Kermin (56), Cahir, Hollymount, told the inquest he did not know his partner had been visiting an alternative medicine therapist.
She had been secretary of the Connacht Asthma Association and knew of the dangers of coming off steroids suddenly.
In a statement to Garda Jim Corrigan, Newport, Ms Kamper said she was a qualified nurse who had been living in Ireland since 1980. She was a registered RGN in Ireland and a member of the Irish Reflexology Institute.
She said: "I didn't take her off anything. The medicines I prescribed would work well with other medicines.
"She wanted to go off steroids but that was difficult as she was a long-time user."