Waterford teen found dead in stream after chase by gardaí, inquest hears

A teenager was found face down in a stream minutes after being chased by gardaí who were investigating an assault in which a garda superintendent was struck on the head with a bottle, an inquest has heard.

Jamie Ducey, 18, from Abbeyside in Dungarvan died from drowning in a stream near the Sea Park housing estate shortly after midnight on May 15 last year.

Yesterday’s inquest in Dungarvan heard he had three times the legal driving limit of alcohol in his blood stream at the time.

The jury returned a verdict of drowning and death by misadventure.

Coroner Dr Eoin Maughan said “the unintended consequence is that he ended up in the water. Whether it was due to slipping or as a result of alcohol being involved, isn’t quite possible to say.”

Assistant state pathologist Dr Michael Curtis told the inquest the findings were consistent with death by drowning. There was no evidence of assault or restraint, he said.

Garda Supt Michael Leacy said he was in bed sometime after 11.30pm on May 15 when he heard “loud voices” outside his house in Sea Park, just before a bottle was thrown at the front door.

At the estate entrance, he saw two men walking towards him. One of them said he was Jamie Ducey and “was aggressive”.

The superintendent then got struck from behind on the head “by the other youth” who then fled.

Jamie Ducey said “I didn’t hit you” as the superintendent was trying to hold on to him when another youth approached and grabbed him from behind. Mr Ducey then ran from the scene.

The superintendent realised he had been hit with a bottle and tried to stem the flow of blood from his head.

Dylan McGovern, a friend of Mr Ducey, said he met up with Mr Decuey and other friends about 5pm on May 15. They had cans of beer in a field and later by the beach.

As they back through Sea Park estate, “two or three of the group started throwing bottles at random houses in the estate.”

After the incident with Supt Leacy, he and Mr Ducey started running.

When they realised there was no-one behind them, started walking but then ran again when they saw a Garda van.

They ran towards a concrete pipe which was used to cross a stream between Sea Park and another estate.

He saw Mr Ducey climb over a fence into a back garden, and that was the last he saw of him. “I was not aware Jamie had fallen into the river.”

Garda Aidan McCarthy and Garda Mark O’Donovan shouted at the two men to stop, but the men kept going and got over a fence, about 8ft-10ft above the stream.

After some minutes, over the fence, he saw what he first thought was a plastic bag in the stream but then realised was “a pair of buttocks” and then heard the other garda shouting “this fella’s head is in the water”.

They pulled him out, onto the concrete pipe above the stream, and realised it was Jamie Ducey.