Man concealed friend's dead body for 19 days

A 38-year-old man admitted to gardaí he put the family of an Ennis man through “three weeks of hell” by not telling them the missing man’s dead body was in his apartment.

At Ennis Circuit Court yesterday, Sgt Catríona Houlihan said the badly decomposed remains of Frankie Hassett (25) were found in the shower area of an apartment rented by Bernard Flaherty of Lifford Lodge, Lifford, Ennis on July 3rd, 2011.

Sgt Houlihan said Mr Hassett’s body could only be identified through dental records and a tattoo on his body.

Flaherty had concealed Mr Hassett’s body for 19 days before admitting in a Garda interview on July 3rd, 2011, that Mr Hassett’s body was in his shower wrapped in plastic. Flaherty has pleaded guilty to knowingly making a false statement to gardaí on June 24th, 2011.

Mr Hassett (25) died in Flaherty’s apartment on June 14th after taking prescription drugs with Mr Flaherty.

Counsel for Flaherty, Michael Collins BL, said Flaherty didn’t tell gardaí Mr Hassett’s remains were in his apartment because he believed he would be blamed for his death.

In a statement, Flaherty said he lay beside Mr Hassett’s remains crying, not knowing what to do and believed the only way out was to take his own life.

Judge Moran adjourned sentencing to next February to allow a psychiatric report to be drawn up on Flaherty.