The son of a man who had a heart attack and died shortly after he was restrained by gardaí while in a state of “excited delirium” has called for a change in the way people in distress are dealt with by the force.
Ian Kavanagh was speaking after the jury at Dublin Coroner’s Court returned a narrative verdict at the inquest into the death of his father, William Kavanagh (58), from Edenmore Crescent, Raheny.
The father of four was pronounced dead at Beaumont Hospital on June 5th, 2009, less than an hour after he had been handcuffed and restrained by gardaí.
The jury found that Mr Kavanagh died from a heart attack in the context of excited delirium, heart disease and restraint, but said it was not possible to apportion weight to any factor and all were considered contributory in his death.
Medical evidence
He had been found running naked around the Bayside area of north Dublin, and medical evidence was given that he was believed to be suffering from the phenomenon of excited delirium at the time. The syndrome can cause bizarre and often violent behaviour.
The method of restraint used by gardaí was questioned during the inquest by solicitor for the family Michael Finucane However, a sergeant present on the night insisted that “reasonable” force was used.
Garda practices
Speaking following the verdict, Ian Kavanagh called for a change in Garda practices.
“There needs to be a change in the way distressed people are dealt with by Garda members. It is clear from the evidence presented at the inquest that gardaí place too much emphasis on physical methods of control, like seizure and restraint, when dealing with people who are obviously distraught.”
He also said that Garda training does not give enough priority to the dangers inherent in restraining people, and called for refresher courses in key areas of policing to ensure methods were in line with current international best practice.
The jury at the inquest recommended that ongoing training be provided to gardaí in first aid, CPR, conditions such as excited delirium and note-taking.
“The extent to which Garda training in the areas of first aid and CPR is not kept up to date is a matter of serious concern and was highlighted by the inquest jury. This deficiency must be addressed as a matter of urgency,” said Mr Kavanagh.
More needs to be done to inform individual gardaí about excited delirium, he added.
Over the course of the eight-day inquest the court heard that William Kavanagh was behaving strangely on the day of his death. Gardaí found him in Bayside after receiving a report of a naked man running around the area. When they found him they chased after him on foot. Garda Judith Notely caught up with him and grabbed his arm but he turned around and punched her in the jaw.
No pulse
It took three gardaí to restrain Mr Kavanagh. He was handcuffed but then became unresponsive when spoken to or shook.
An ambulance was called, and when paramedics arrived on the scene Mr Kavanagh had no pulse and was not breathing. He was taken to Beaumont Hospital but was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.