Post mortem on man found dead in city garda cell

THE State Pathologist’s office yesterday completed a post mortem on an eastern European man found dead in a Cork city garda cell and sent off samples for toxicology reports.

Gardaí still have not officially established how the man, who was from the former Soviet Union, died. He was found lying unconscious in the cell in Togher Garda Station last Friday and had sustained a head injury. Gardaí said he was placed in a cell alone and was checked on a number of times. Upon checking the cell at 8.20am gardaí discovered the man was unconscious.

The dead man, who has not been officially identified but who carried multiple identity cards, had only been in the cell for an hour.

He had been arrested earlier in the day after using a fire extinguisher to break the front doors of a student apartment block on the Carrigrohane Road in Cork city.

He was described as being in a very aggressive state. The damage caused to the building was estimated at €5,000.

Witnesses who followed the foreign national after he walked away from the apartments towards the Kingsley Hotel in Victoria Cross, called gardaí and he was arrested at approximately 7.05am.

When gardaí checked on him later they found him unconscious lying on the floor of his cell.

Gardaí immediately alerted ambulance control and an ambulance rushed the man to Cork University Hospital where he died on Monday.

The man is understood to have been in Ireland since 2005 and had lived in a number of residences. He is thought to have come to the attention of gardaí on a number of occasions.

In accordance with standard procedure, Superintendent Pat McCarthy, a senior officer from the north Cork division, has been drafted in to carry out the investigation and has assembled a team of 16 officers.

He confirmed the man had been known to gardaí and had been known to have used a number of identities. Gardaí are hoping his fingerprints will help establish who he is.

Supt McCarthy said his team were carrying out a thorough investigation to establish what exactly had happened to the man and he would not be drawn on a cause of death.

An incident room has been set up by the superintendent at Togher Garda Station and anybody with information is asked to contact 021-4947120.