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Tag Archives: Inquest

Widower Unhappy With Inquest Misadventure Verdict

A verdict of misadventure at the end of an inquest into the death of a North Clare Coast Guard volunteer has left her widower dissatisfied. A jury of four men and three women also issued seven recommendations concerning safety management, training and equipment used by the Irish Coast Guard before Limerick coroner John McNamara at Kilmallock Court recently. Experienced Doolin Coast Guard member, Caitríona Lucas was the first Coast Guard volunteer to lose her life following a search and rescue operation off Kilkee Bay on September 12, 2016. Her husband, Bernard Lucas confirmed he is not happy with the official inquest verdict. In his summing up for the jury, the coroner said unfortunately, I can’t give you the option of “unlawful killing”. Mr Lucas believes the final verdict should have been “unlawful killing” and felt this option should have been available for the jury as submitted by his representative Mr Kingston. Marine expert Michael Kingston, representing the Lucas family, had …

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‘Critical lessons’ must be learned from death of Caitriona Lucas

The family of the late Caitriona Lucas say that “critical lessons” must be learned from the North Clare woman’s death while on duty with the coastguard in 2016. A jury of four men and three women returned a verdict of death by misadventure yesterday evening, Thursday, following a four day sitting of the coroners court in Limerick. In a statement read after the verdict, the Lucas family was critical of the Irish Coastguard, saying that its failures to have proper safety systems in place caused the death of Caitriona Lucas. The family also highlighted the failure of the authorities to act on a 2012 report, which called for a senior safety systems manager to be installed in the Irish Coast Guard. In their statement they also said that the minister in charge of the Department of Transport in 2012 “should be held to account”. When delivering their verdict, the jurors said that a number of recommendations to enhance safety should …

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Open Verdict in Gerard Tubridy Inquest

CORK’S Coroner’s Court has returned an open verdict into the death of West Clare man Gerard Martin Tubridy, who died following a head injury sustained on March 18, 2017 at Clohanmore, Cree, County Clare. At the inquest into his death assistant state pathologist Margaret Bolster told Thursday’s sitting of Cork Coroner’s Court that 59 year old Gerard Tubridy suffered a large linear fracture to the skull consistent with blunt force trauma on March 18, 2017 at Clohanmore in Cree. She detailed to the court that the injury which was sustained by Mr Tubridy was not consistent with a simple fall from an upright position as was the account presented to her, and was more likely associated with an accelerated fall. As to what caused the acceleration she said she could not definitively say. Having heard evidence from five individuals who travelled with Mr Tubridy on a short journey from Walsh’s in Cree to Mr Tubridy’s homeplace at Clohanmore, and also …

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Inquest upholds manslaughter verdict in Clare woman’s death

AN inquest has returned a verdict of manslaughter in accordance with the findings of the Central Criminal Court into the death of 43-year-old Ballyvaughan woman Deirdre McCarthy. Just days before the sixth anniversary of Ms McCarthy’s death, Colm Deely of School Road, Ballyvaughan was sentenced to eight years in prison for her manslaughter. He had denied murdering Ms McCarthy but in early March 2017 he pleaded guilty to her manslaughter at the Central Criminal Court. At a sitting of the County Coroner’s Court in Ennis on Thursday, an inquest found that Ms McCarthy’s death was due to asphyxia, with blunt force trauma as a contributory factor. County Coroner Isobel O’Dea said, in holding this inquest, she hoped it “helps to bring some closure to what was a tortured and arduous journey” for Ms Carthy’s family. Superintendent John Galvin, acting as coroner’s officer, offered his sympathies and those of An Garda Síochána, describing this case as something that has “been going …

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Search still continues for missing Japanese tourist

THE search continues for a missing Japanese tourist eight months after the body of her travelling companion was recovered from the waters off Kilkee. An inquest into the death last August of 63-year-old Eiji Takagi at Clare’s Coroner’s Court this week heard that the search is ongoing for fellow tourist Ushio Azaki, who also went missing. The remains of Mr Takagi, who had a Californian address, were recovered in Kilkee bay in water about 27m deep on August 30 of last year, following an extensive search of the area. The inquest was told that the pair were last seen alive when they checked out of The Bellbridge House Hotel and were due to visit Kilkee. Concern was raised when their hire car was seen parked at George’s Head for a number of days and a search operation was launched. Along with search and rescue teams from Lough Derg, Ennis and Aughinish, local coast guard units from Kilkee, Doolin and Ballybunion …

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Died in taxi on way to Shannondoc

A  FEAKLE man, who called a taxi to bring him from his digs in Foynes to a Shannondoc surgery in Newcastle West, had collapsed and was not breathing by the time they arrived at the surgery, an inquest heard this week. Thomas (Tom) O’Donoghue (41), from Main Street, Feakle, was working with Foynes Engineering and staying in the Shannon House bar and guesthouse in Foynes at the time of his death, December 14 last. The inquest in Newcastle West heard that Mr O’Donoghue, a single man born in April 1974,  had gone upstairs about 10pm but came back down about 11pm, complaining of chest pains and shortness of breath. The co-owner of the guest-house, Richard O’Connor, said in a deposition read out at the inquest, that he was out for a walk when one of his staff rang to say that Mr O’Donoghue was complaining of breathing problems. He returned to Shannon House, where he saw Mr O’Donoghue “slumped over”. …

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Family fury over death inquiry delay

THE family of the late Patrick Nugent from Sixmilebridge has accused the Department of Justice of adding “insult to injury” over its failure to update them on the potential for an independent review into his death. The death of 23-year-old banqueting manager Patrick Nugent, in Bunratty, in the early hours of February 11, 1984 is back in the spotlight this week as members of the Nugent family, from Feenagh, Sixmilebridge, have highlighted their frustration over being left in the dark for the past 13 months on a possible review of file. “The lack of communication is adding insult to injury for the family,” said his brother, John, a view shared by his sibling, Martin. “It is a like a repeat of what happened over 30 years ago when we were coming up against a brick wall. We weren’t getting any proper answers back then and it is the same now. It is hard to believe it. We will not throw …

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Double inquest hears of domestic tragedy

“DOMESTIC dispute – she stabbed me, I stabbed her”, were among the last words spoken by a man who died on the same evening as his wife in Kildysart, shortly before last Christmas. This was outlined at an inquest in Ennis into the deaths of South African couple, Cornelius and Angelique Billing. The inquest also heard that the couple’s two small children were hysterical in the aftermath of the stabbings and one of them was on Kildysart’s Main Street calling for help, as her mother was mortally wounded nearby. The jury heard evidence from gardaí, ambulance and fire service personnel, as well as Deputy State Pathologist, Dr Michael Curtis. Garda John Cahill said that on December 17 of last year he began work at noon and at around 6.25pm, he got a call to go to a fire at a hardware store in Kildysart. While on the Main Street, he saw a woman staggering in the direction of AIB. She …

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