Hospital worker in fraud probe tries to kill self

A HSE employee at the centre of a fraud investigation at a Cork City hospital was hospitalised after attacking gardaí and attempting to take his own life.

The man cut himself with what is believed to have been a letter opener after gardaí arrived at St Mary’s hospital in Gurranabraher on Friday morning to seize documents.

Officers had to call for support and the man, who was said to be middle-aged, was subdued with pepper spray.

During the incident he is understood to have cut his wrists and was taken to hospital for medical treatment.

His condition is not known and the injuries he received were not as a result of the actions of the gardaí.

He has not been arrested. The investigation is ongoing.

It is understood the fraud allegations related to the use of hospital funds that were intended for buying goods for the specialist hospital on Cork’s northside.

The investigation will look at a series of transactions going back a number of years. The HSE would not confirm the sums under examination; however, it is understood to be in excess of €100,000.

The matter was first referred to gardaí at Gurranabraher on Thursday.

Its detective branch, with the support of the anti-fraud unit at Anglesea St, organised Friday’s search. They arrived at St Mary’s at about noon having obtained a warrant to search the building.

They had assistance from the HSE finance office and managers were on site at the time.

However, when the squad arrived gardaí were initially prevented from getting access to the documents by the employee in question. It was at this stage the man struck out and then harmed himself.

A large number of files as well as computers have since been seized and the fraud unit is examining them.

Superintendent Con Cadogan at Gurranabraher confirmed officers had been involved in the search and there had been no option but to call for reinforcements and use pepper spray.

This happened after a man lashed out at a member of the gardaí. Supt Cadogan said the investigation was ongoing.

The HSE said it was co-operating with the inquiry: “The HSE can confirm that an investigation by an Garda Siochána into allegations of fraud by a member of staff in the HSE South is under way. The HSE is co-operating fully with An Garda Siochána and cannot comment further on any details in relation to this investigation.”

In December, orthopaedic patients at St Mary’s were moved from the 125-bed specialist hospital to the South Infirmary as part of reorganisation of hospital services in Cork region.

In March an urgent care centre was opened in its place on the campus off Baker’s Rd, Gurranabraher.