Hearing into deaths of three killed in head on N7 collision adjourned

A preliminary hearing into the deaths of three men who were killed when their vehicle was in a head-on collision with a truck while driving on the wrong side of the N7 in Dublin last year was adjourned following objections from a lawyer representing one of the families.

The three men – Dean Maguire (29), Karl Freeman (26) and Graham Taylor (31) all from Tallaght – died when the BMW vehicle they were in burst into flames following a high-speed crash with a truck on the N7 between Citywest and Baldonnell on July 7th, 2021 while they were fleeing from gardaí.

The inquest at Dublin District Coroner’s Court on Thursday was scheduled to adjourn after hearing statements relating to the identification of the deceased parties and the cause of death.

However, a solicitor for the Maguire family, Michael Finucane, intervened after the court registrar began reading a statement from an official with Forensic Science Ireland who set out how the body of Karl Freeman had been identified by matching blood samples from DNA from his father.

Mr Finucane challenged the legal basis on which such evidence was being read into the record, particularly as the families of the deceased had not received any advance notice of how the men’s bodies had been formally identified.

The coroner, Clare Keane, said it was usual procedure at the Coroner’s Court for cases that were scheduled to open and adjourn without a full hearing to hear evidence about the identity of the deceased parties and the cause of death.

Dr Keane said its purpose was to assist families as such evidence allowed death certificates to be issued.

However, Mr Finucane said the families of the three men should have been given prior notice about any information which was being placed on the public record.

The solicitor said the evidence about identity was not straightforward in the inquest into the deaths of the three men unlike other cases where a family member identified a body to a garda.

Mr Finucane said issues could arise as evidence about identity was being given by third parties following “scientific analysis”.

He said the cause of death was “an entirely different animal” and he told the coroner he had reason previously to object to such evidence being given at a preliminary stage of an inquest.

‘Tragic circumstances’

Dr Keane replied that proof of identity to a garda was not possible in the current case “because of the tragic circumstances”.

She reminded the inquiry that the purpose of the preliminary hearing was “to create ease” for the families by allowing them to obtain death certificates.

Following several adjournments, Dr Keane decided to put back the preliminary hearing until another date in order to allow the families and their lawyers to have prior sight of evidence regarding identity and cause of death.

Dr Keane explained she had taken that decision as the family of Karl Freeman had not been legally represented at the hearing.

In the immediate aftermath of the deaths, there was considerable controversy over the conduct of mourners at the requiem mass and burial of Dean Maguire.

The funeral at St Mary’s Priory church in Tallaght garnered international headlines after a screwdriver and torch – tools associated with burglars – were brought to the altar as offertory gifts, while many attendees ignored attempts by local priests to limit the numbers in church and to get the congregation to observe social distancing and mask-wearing.

A poster brought to the church read: “RIP Dean – You know the score, get on the floor, don’t be funny, give me the money.”

Fr Donal Roche, who oversaw the requiem ceremony and threatened to halt proceedings at one stage if greater respect was not shown in church, subsequently described it as the “most disturbing” funeral he had ever attended.