Father who killed wife and children was ‘very disturbed’, inquest hears

CO Wexford father Diarmuid Flood who last April killed his wife and children before setting fire to their home and shooting himself in the head and was “very disturbed” and was not in his “normal senses”, the inquest into the deaths of the Flood family from Clonroche heard yesterday.

Pathologist Dr Declan Gilsenan said Lorraine Flood, 38, died from a gunshot wound to the chest while her two young children, Julie, five, and Mark, six, were at “best guess” smothered.

Coroner Sean Nixon said Mr Flood, 41, was suffering from a depressive illness which he kept well hidden, and had worked as normal right up to the day he died.

Dr Nixon, coroner for Wexford north, recommended that the jury return a verdict of suicide in the case of Mr Flood and unlawful killing in relation to his wife and children.

The family was discovered in their burning home in the early hours of Saturday April 26, 2008.

Fireman Chris Wyles told the inquest that he found Lorraine Flood upstairs in bed covered with a curtain or a bedspread, with “no sign of life”.

He also found a “young girl with a teddy bear under her arm” and “no sign of life” in a second bedroom. A third bedroom, he said, was engulfed with flames.

Another fireman Anthony Nolan, who entered downstairs with a water hose, described seeing a body “lying back on the chair” which was very badly burnt and not identifiable.

This was the body of Mr Flood, who had shot himself in the head, according to the pathologist’s evidence.

Evidence given by nurse Elaine McCarthy and Dr James Kirrane of Clonroche medical centre pointed to a man who was seriously mentally disturbed.

Mr Flood, who ran a water pump business in the village, was paranoid about his health and in the weeks leading up to his death made several phone calls and visits to the medical centre.

According to Ms McCarthy, Mr Flood was “very self-conscious” regarding his health.

During the month of April he had a blood test, which came back normal, and a full medical examination, but was still anxious.

Ms McCarthy said she assured him on several occasions that he was “in the prime of his health”.

But Mr Flood, she said, was worried about having bowel cancer and bad cholesterol, and was concerned about passing them on.

On April 25, the day before the family’s bodies were discovered, Mr Flood made another doctor’s appointment for Monday morning.

“I gave him the first appointment on Monday morning, April 28. He appeared happy and said ‘see you Monday morning’,” Ms McCarthy said.

Dr James Kirrane told the inquest in Enniscorthy yesterday that Mr Flood came to see him on April 17 and told him he felt worried and depressed. “He said he was concerned about having testicular cancer and was not sleeping,” Dr Kirrane said.

“He said it was quiet at work, he was sweating at night and had palpitations.”

Dr Kirrane asked Mr Flood if he had thought about harming himself. He said no. He asked if he had ever considered suicide.

“He said no, I would never do something like that.”

Pathologist Dr Declan Gilsenan told the jury that Ms Flood died from a lacerated heart, following a gunshot wound to the chest.

He said the death of the couple’s two young children could not be determined, but that his “best guess” was that both children had been smothered by a pillow.

The toxicology results for both children were negative, he said.

On his summing up, Dr Nixon reiterated to the families that both children were definitely dead before the fire had started.