A 34-year-old man was found hanging in Wexford Garda station shortly after telling gardai he was going to commit suicide, an inquest was told yesterday.
The man, from Wexford town, was found dead about half-an-hour after being arrested and placed in a cell. He had refused an offer by gardai to drive him home.
Garda Ray O'Leary told the inquest in Wexford that the man arrived at the station at 12.05 a.m. on January 10th, 1998, in a distressed state. He had been drinking and "in slurred words he told me he was going to kill himself".
The man said he was in financial difficulties and had a debt of £290. Sgt Patrick Geoghegan said he spoke to the man for seven or eight minutes before asking a colleague on patrol car duty, Garda Dan O'Sullivan, to drive him home. The man was very drunk but was in no way aggressive.
Garda O'Sullivan said he told the man a £290 debt was "not a whole lot to worry about". But he refused to get into the patrol car, saying that if he went home his mother and father would find him hanging in the morning.
Garda O'Sullivan decided to arrest him under Section 4 of the Public Order Act.
Garda O'Sullivan and Garda O'Leary, who was the member in charge, both gave evidence of searching the man before he was put in a cell at 12.17 a.m., wearing a T-shirt, trousers, underpants and socks, but no shoes.
Garda O'Leary checked at 12.30 a.m. and again at 12.50 a.m, when he found the man hanging. Resuscitation attempts failed.
Supt Tom Saunderson of New Ross said an investigation was held which resulted in a change in the type of hatch used in the station's cell doors at the time.
Dr John Harbison, the State Pathologist, said death was due to vagal inhibition-asphyxia, caused by suspension or hanging. The jury returned a verdict in accordance with the medical evidence.
It is the policy of The Irish Times in reporting certain inquests to protect the identities of deceased persons and/or their families
