Landlord who suffered ear injury took his own life, inquest hears

A landlord who had suffered a painful ear injury while burning rubbish left by his tenants died from self-inflicted wounds, an inquest heard.

Dublin Coroner's Court heard how Noel Murphy (48) from Moneystown, Roundwood, Co Wicklow had ongoing trouble with tenants who failed to pay rent at a house he owned in Larkhill, Santry, Co Dublin. When the tenants finally left at Easter 2014, Mr Murphy sustained middle ear damage when a deodorant can exploded as he was burning rubbish left at the house.

His sister Mary O’Reilly said Mr Murphy had “trouble” with tenants at the house.

“The place was trashed, the rent was due and he still had to pay mortgage repayments. It really upset him,” she said.

“I believe Noel was suffering financially,” she said. “I think a lot of things were going against him.”

The pain in his ear due to the canister explosion was “driving him crazy”, his sister said.

Mr Murphy attended hospital for the ear injury and was prescribed antibiotics, steroids and ear drops.

Relatives described Mr Murphy as “more subdued” than normal in the days leading up to his death. He had tried to get work as part of a Community Employment scheme but was not allowed to proceed as he had taken part in the scheme 10 years previously.

On May 28th, 2014, at this mother’s house in Blackrock, Co Dublin he took a kitchen knife into the bathroom.

His mother had an appointment and left the house at 11.40am and returned at 2.40pm to find the bathroom door locked. She called her daughter Mary O’Reilly, who hailed a taxi to go to her mother’s house. On arrival, taxi driver Ivor Hemmingway kicked in the bathroom door.

Consultant Pathologist at St Columcille's Hospital in Loughlinstown Dr Niamh Nolan said there were multiple lacerations to the arms, wrists and neck. The cause of death was laceration of the right jugular vein. Damage to Mr Murphy's middle ear was confirmed at postmortem. Mr Murphy had taken high doses or paracetamol and codeine before his death.

"The evidence would be that these were self-inflicted wounds. He formed an intention to harm himself,"Dublin City Coroner Dr Brian Farrell said, returning a verdict of self-inflicted death.