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Seán O’Neill’s body was found in an area of overgrowth on grounds of Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown in 2017
Seán O’Neill’s body was found in an area of overgrowth on grounds of Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown in 2017 Seán O'Neill had made two suicide attempts in a Garda cell before he was released from custody and brought to the hospital by ambulance.activity in the 17 hours after two gardaí initially responded to the disappearance of a suicidal man from an emergency department inA jury returned an inquest verdict of death by suicide on the third and final day of Seán O’Neill’s inquest on Thursday.
O’Neill’s body was found almost a decade ago in an area of overgrowth on the grounds of Connolly HospitalAn initial inquest in 2020 was abandoned after it emerged that Garda civilian staff were among the jurors selected by a member of An Garda Síochána, which selects most inquest juries.
Raonaid Murray: Gardaí ask witness who provided alibi for suspected killer to come forwardTeenager who allegedly drove stolen BMW on wrong side of Cork’s N40 refused bail The 25-year-old had been arrested in the early hours of March 8th on public order grounds outside his home in Mornington, CoHe subsequently made two suicide attempts in a Garda cell before he was released from custody and brought to the hospital by ambulance. The father of four left about 90 minutes after arriving and medical staff told the inquest there was no legal or medical basis to retain him involuntarily, despite concerns for his wellbeing.
The inquest previously heard two gardaí were initially dispatched 12 minutes after O’Neill left at 7.05am on March 8th, after hospital staff called for assistance. Asked by coroner Dr Myra Cullinane on Thursday what occurred between 8am on March 8th and shortly after 1am on March 9th, Dónal O’Connor, a senior investigating officer at Fiosrú, said there was “no Garda activity between those hours”.
Asked by David O’Dwyer, a barrister appearing for An Garda Síochána, if he checked records at Blanchardstown Garda station or spoke to Garda members involved, he replied that he had and that Fiosrú, formerly Gsoc, conducted a “comprehensive investigation”. O’Neill’s family had been searching for him since he left the hospital, and two gardaí, Naoise Doherty and Barry Tormey, ultimately attended his mother’s house for information shortly after 1am on March 9th.
As far as he was aware, Tormey said they were responding to an “initial report” at the time, though he now knew gardaí had responded the day prior. Tormey said O’Neill would “automatically” be categorised as a high-risk missing person, given his history of self-harm. After an unsuccessful search of the hospital, a missing person incident was logged on the Garda Pulse system, which Tormey said was a “priority” in order to circulate the case to other Garda stations.
O’Neill’s body was ultimately discovered shortly after midday on March 9th, about a “five-minute walk” from the emergency department and a short distance from where he was last seen on CCTV. The jury endorsed the fact that revised Garda guidelines for the handling of missing persons cases came into effect this year. It also noted there appeared to be a public “misconception” that someone must be missing for 24 hours before official action could be taken.
O’Neill’s mother, Rosaleen Fitzgerald, previously told the inquest she had been informed by a Garda that 24 hours must pass before they can act, though Insp Michael Galligan, who provided details on revised guidelines, told the coroner that has “never been the case”. Describing O’Neill as “funny, loving and caring”, his 18-year-old sonJamie said his death had a “profound” impact on his family.
He said his father’s life was “very difficult” in the months leading up to his death, adding that he felt “strongly that what happened to Seán must never happen again”. O’Neill’s sister, Catherine, said that “finally” after nearly a decade, they could “lay our brother to rest and allow him to be at peace”.
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