Brother of man who took his own life says coroner's verdict is 'absurd'

A brother of a man who took his own life last December has told a coroner that her decision not to return a suicide verdict in the case “seems absurd to me”.

At the Clare Coroner’s Court in Ennis, the man told Coroner Isobel O’Dea that he couldn’t understand why she wasn’t returning a suicide verdict.

The man, along with another brother, found their 51-year-old brother dead at his home in north Clare on December 27th last.

The deceased - who worked as a horticulturalist - had died from asphyxia due to a ligature around his neck and the two brothers found an undated note left behind at the scene in the kitchen of the house.

The man - who lived alone - had been dead “for up to 48 hours” before being discovered, according to Dr Tony Cox who pronounced the man dead at the scene.

Ms O’Dea stated that she would be recording an open verdict and not a suicide verdict.

The brother at the coroner’s court told Ms O’Dea: “I accept you work within the framework within which you do, but standing outside the framework that seems absurd to me, but I accept that is what you are going to find.” 

In response, Ms O’Dea explained: “I’m slow to give a suicide verdict because sometimes we don’t know what state somebody’s mind is in when they do it.

“I have to be satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that at the time, there was an intention to terminate his life."

Ms O’Dea stated that the “note is somewhat unclear and as it was not dated, could have been written at any stage. It is a difficult one to define. Definitely, the intention was there.” 

In response, the man stated: “This would run counter to my experience of the circumstances where the table was very clearly laid out with the note, his keys, his phone and instructions as to how someone could access his laptop.

"It is very much evidence of an intention rather than some accidental set of circumstances.” 

In reply, Ms O’Dea stated: “I err on the side of not finding suicide unless I am absolutely definite and the timing of it and because of that I am leaving it open.” 

Ms O’Dea stated that there was no one there who saw what happened and nobody can give absolute evidence and because of that she was not prepared to give a verdict of suicide.

She stated: “Had the note been dated December 25th or December 26th it would be a different situation. 

"I’m leaving it as an open verdict which means no one knows exactly what happened and the time it happened and I’m sorry that is not what you think it should be, but that is my finding.” 

Insp Helen Costelloe sympathised with the two brothers in court and told them that “an awful scene” had greeted them when calling to the home.

The two brothers had called to the home after their brother had not travelled for a family gathering planned for Christmas Day and could not be contactable on Christmas Day or St Stephen’s Day.

In his deposition, the brother who questioned Ms O’Dea’s verdict said he thought it very unusual that his brother didn’t travel for Christmas as arranged.

They arrived at their brother’s rented home at 12.28pm on December 27th.

On seeing his brother’s dead body, the man in his deposition stated: “It was obvious to me that it was a suicide.” 

The brother thanked Gardai for the care and attention on the day and to Ms O’Dea for the communications since to make it an easier process than it would have been otherwise.

In his deposition, Dr Tony Cox stated that he was asked by Gardai to go to the scene of a suspected suicide on December 27th, 2019.