Greater liaison between gardai and families involved in violent tragedies was recommended by a coroner in Dublin yesterday. Dr Bartley Sheehan, Dublin County Coroner, made his remarks after hearing the events surrounding the death of a Howth businessman after gardai called to his apartment on October 4th last.
The inquest was told by Ms Sharon Melia that her fiance, Mr John Hunt (26), with whom she lived at Abbey Street, Howth, Co Dublin, was under financial and other pressures and had his truck repossessed.
After gardai had visited their flat, she heard a "bang or a thud" just as they were going to have a conversation with him.
Det Sgt Bernard Shelly told the inquest in Swords that following talks with other gardai he went to the house and asked the deceased's brother, Martin, to admit them. He said the matter was "a delicate one" and was told by Mr Hunt to "go on upstairs. I have no problems."
Sgt Shelly said he saw Ms Melia running down the stairs in a hysterical condition. He saw windows opened in the bathroom and the living room. He then heard a bang. He went into a bedroom and saw the deceased man lying between a bed and a wall with a gun pointed towards him.
Sgt Shelly said that members of the Hunt family and Ms Melia had to be prevented from entering the bedroom so that the scene could be preserved. The deceased man was later identified by his father, Mr Michael Hunt, after being pronounced dead at 10.15 p.m.
Dr John Harbison, Chief State Pathologist, said the cause of death was a gross laceration of the brain stem as a consequence to a single wound to the mouth.