A MAN who faced charges of stealing thousands of euro from a private school took his own life on the morning he was due to appear in court, an inquest heard yesterday.
The 55-year-old man was found by gardaí at his home on April 4th, last year, having texted a member of the force indicating that he planned to take his own life.
He had been due to appear before Judge Cormac Dunne on the same day having been charged with the theft of €5,110 from the accounts of St Michael’s College on Ailesbury Road, Ballsbridge, in Dublin.
He had been a member of the board of trustees at the 600-pupil school.
He was arrested just before Christmas 2010 as part of a Garda investigation into the misappropriation of more than €200,000 from school funds.
At Dublin Coroner’s Court, Det Sgt James Byrne of Donnybrook Garda station said that he received a text message from the man at about 10.30am, which led him to believe that he intended to kill himself. The man included instructions on how to gain entry to the house.
His son told the court that his father seemed fine on the previous night and they had spent time sorting out some old pound coins for members of the family. However, he was aware that his father wanted to die, he said.
He was sleeping upstairs when his father took his own life and was woken by gardaí as they checked the rest of the house.
The man died three days later on April 7th.
The cause of death was given as severe hypoxic brain injury as a result of asphyxiation due to hanging.
Coroner Dr Brian Farrell returned a verdict of death by suicide.