Shackled Inmate Suffocated

By GEORGINA O’HALLORAN

A MENTAL patient died after he was restrained by staff during his transfer from one part of the Central Mental Hospital to another, an inquest heard.

Gary Connell, 35, with an address at the Morning Star hostel in Dublin, choked on vomit and suffocated when staff placed him face down on the ground and cuffed his hands behind his back after he assaulted a staff member with a piece of broken glass on September 12, 2001.

The inquest at Dublin City Coroner’s Court heard he was being transferred to a seclusion room.

State Pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy told the inquest the trigger for Mr Connell’s death could have been ‘any action that would affect breathing’.

‘Death wasn’t caused by any one action. It’s a very complicated incident. You can’t single out any particular action,’ she said.

The patient was more susceptible to asphyxia because he was suffering from coronary artery disease, the inquest heard.

During the transfer, Mr Connell was kicked in the head by a care officer at the facility, Brendan Cullen, who later pleaded guilty to assault causing harm The postmortem revealed extensive bruising and abrasion which, Dr Cassidy said, were a contributory factor.

The jury recommended that the Central Mental Hospital should regularly undertake independent external audits of all procedures.

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