Gardaí at Tallaght station in Dublin did not follow custody regulations for dealing with intoxicated persons and a man subsequently died in his cell from a cocktail of drugs and alcohol, an inquest has heard.
Michael Kane (37), a father of two from Walkinstown, Dublin, drank a bottle of vodka in 15 minutes on top of a substantial amount of methadone and tranquillisers. He had been arrested by gardaí on April 16th, 2003, when he was discovered face down, barely conscious on a green in Jobstown, having urinated on himself, Dublin County Coroner's Court was told yesterday. He died overnight at Tallaght Garda station.
Arresting gardaí found four packets of prescription drugs and two half-empty bottles of vodka on his person as they carried him to a patrol car. But when they asked him if he'd taken anything aside from alcohol he said he hadn't, Garda David Jennings said.
Mr Kane arrived at the station at 8pm and was checked every 15 minutes until he was discovered unresponsive at 4am and an ambulance was called.
The inquest heard that Garda custody regulations stipulate that when an intoxicated person is arrested they must be spoken to every 15 minutes and therefore must be roused if asleep.
Several gardaí told the inquest yesterday they did not awaken Mr Kane when they checked on him every 15 minutes because they heard him snoring and assumed he was okay. Garda Ronan Doolin, who checked Mr Kane several times, said he left him sleeping because this was normal procedure.
"The rule says that if he doesn't respond, he should be roused," coroner Dr Kieran Geraghty told the inquest.
"The main concern of the family is that he was taken into custody for his own health and safety and then died in custody. Maybe his life could have been saved if they'd called a doctor," his brother, Thomas Kane, told the court.
The jury recorded a verdict of death by misadventure.
It also recommended that gardaí review their procedure when dealing with intoxicated people arrested with drugs or medication on their person.