THE PARTNER of a pregnant mother-of-two who died along with her unborn child after she used cocaine will not face charges for supplying her with the drug, despite gardaí recommending charg­es to the DPP.

Gardaí investigating the deaths sought to charge Elton Moran (36), of Belcamp Gardens in Dublin 17, with supplying Lisa Hart (32) with the cocaine that killed her and their unborn child.

But the DPP directed in early March that Moran should not be charged. Moran has a previous conviction for drug dealing. In November 2003, he was handed down a three-year suspended sentence at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for possession of ecstasy for sale and supply. He was arrested with the drugs in Artane in July 2000.

Hart and her unborn son, Elton Hart, were pronounced dead at 3am on 16 March last year at Beaumont Hospital in Dublin, three hours after Hart collapsed at home.

An inquest into the death of the mother and baby at Dublin City Coroner's Court last week heard her partner Elton Moran brought cocaine home from the pub on the evening of 15 March. The couple's two children, Taylor (9) and Charlie (1), were asleep in bed at the family's home on Banratty Road, Coolock, Dublin 5.

Moran has since returned to Belcamp with the children.

Moran raised the alarm after his partner collapsed in their bedroom. He claimed in his evidence he couldn't remember seeing his partner, who was 32 weeks' pregnant, taking cocaine.

Dublin City Coroner Brian Farrell told members of Hart's family she died from cocaine and lignocaine toxicity. Her unborn baby subsequently died in the womb as a result of her death. A toxicology screening as part of a post mortem found cocaine in Hart's blood, as well as toxic levels of lignocaine, a heart drug with which cocaine is frequently cut. The coroner said the combination of cocaine and lignocaine was "very dangerous".