THE INJURIES suffered by a 26-year-old truck driver when he was assaulted while trying to break up a fight were likely to have contributed to his death from a brain injury just over two weeks later, an inquest at Cork City Coroner’s Court heard yesterday.
Denis Nolan Jnr from Richard Rice Place in Glanworth, Co Cork, complained of headaches and pains in his neck after he was knocked unconscious in an assault in Glanworth village in the early hours of October 27th 2008.
Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster said Mr Nolan suffered dissections of arteries in his neck which led to bleeding into the base of his brain.
Although he suffered from a disease of the blood vessels, his death in hospital on November 9th 2008 could not be attributed to natural causes.
Insp Senan Ryan told the inquest that the gardaí had investigated the matter and had twice submitted a file to the DPP – on the second occasion following discussions with Mr Nolan’s family – but the DPP had decided there should be no prosecution.
The inquest heard contradictory evidence from a number of witnesses with Mr Nolan’s cousin, Seán Crowley admitting that he punched Mr Nolan three times in two separate incidents but insisted that he did so in self defence after Mr Nolan went to hit him.
Mr Crowley also said Mr Nolan had been kicked around the neck by Johnny Irwin but this was denied by Mr Irwin in a statement to gardaí while Mr Irwin’s brother, Tommy said he never saw his brother kick Mr Nolan and only saw Mr Crowley standing over him.
Mr Nolan had been drinking with the two Irwins and others in pubs in Glanworth and had intervened when the two brothers started fighting and Tommy Irwin said that Mr Nolan was “doing an honest thing” while trying to break up the fight between them.
Another witness, Noel Hanrahan said that he saw Mr Nolan trying to break up the fight between the Irwins.
“He was trying to break them up – Dinny was a quiet man, a heart of gold,” said Mr Hanrahan, adding that he later saw Mr Crowley holding Mr Nolan in a headlock.
Det Garda Shane Davern said gardaí had investigated the matter and interviewed several people including Mr Nolan in hospital before he died and they were not able to establish any evidence of anyone other than Mr Crowley striking him on the night in question.