Gardaí have launched an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death of a young man, who was found with self-inflicted injuries in a Co Cork station cell following his arrest for suspected drink-driving on December 23rd.
Peter Skelly (25) - who lived with his partner and their small children at Greencloyne, Youghal - was found unconscious in the local Garda station at about 11 p.m. on December 23rd. Gardaí tried to revive him before he was rushed by ambulance to Cork University Hospital, but he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Dr Margaret Bolster, pathologist, carried out a post-mortem on Christmas Eve which confirmed that the cause of death was self-inflicted.
Mr Skelly had been arrested following an accident while driving on Mill Road, Youghal, at about 10 p.m. when he hit into a parked car which in turn hit another parked car.
The owners of the cars alerted the gardaí as Mr Skelly abandoned his own car and left the scene on foot. He was arrested a couple of hundred yards away.
He was brought to Youghal station. A local doctor took a blood sample before he was returned to a cell, where he was found unconscious a few minutes later.
An inquiry has been launched into the circumstances of Mr Skelly's death while in custody and gardaí from the neighbouring division of Cork city have already interviewed the arresting officers and others on duty in the station that night.