Two-day-old injuries ‘probably caused Rossiter death’

A surgeon has told the inquest into the death of Brian Rossiter that the cause of his death was likely to be from injuries he sustained in an assault two days before.

The 14-year-old was rushed to hospital after being found unconscious in a cell at Clonmel Garda Station on September 11, 2002.

A consultant neurosurgeon operated on the teenager when he was taken to Cork University Hospital.

He removed a blood clot in his brain, but acknowledged that, at that stage, things were fairly hopeless.

He said the clot was caused by a fracture in the boy's skull.

He said he couldn't be certain, but his conclusion - on the balance of probabilities - was that the trauma Brian Rossiter sustained 56 hours beforehand was the most likely cause of his death.

He also said that he didn't think there was any further significant trauma.

State Pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy concluded that the teenager died from blunt-force trauma to his head.