Man left his dead friend in West Cork apartment and went home to bed, inquest hears

Man told inquest in Clonakilty Court his friend 'keeled over' and after attempted CPR and unanswered calls to other people, he then went home, drank 'half a naggin of rum', took two valium and went to bed

The inquest into the death of Charles (Val) McCarthy, 74, from St Mary’s Lane, Dunmanway, Co Cork, was held at Clonakilty Court in West Cork. Picture: Dan Linehan

A man who watched his friend keel over and die in the early hours of the morning left him where he lay and went home to bed, an inquest has heard.

The inquest into the death of Charles (Val) McCarthy, 74, from St Mary’s Lane, Dunmanway, Co Cork was held at Clonakilty Court in West Cork.

In a statement read to the inquest, Justin Smith said on August, 26, 2023, at about 5pm he was about to drive home from The Square in Dunmanway when he was approached by Peter Sherlock, also known as “Bruce”. 

He said Mr Sherlock asked him to “drive me somewhere” and when he was in the car he told him: “Val had had a heart attack and I took his cigarettes”.  

Mr Smith said Mr Sherlock seemed to have drink taken and he was concerned for Mr McCarthy’s wellbeing so he went to his apartment where he discovered the body of Val McCarthy lying face-down on the floor. Mr Smith then called gardaí.

In his statement, Peter Sherlock, 62, said he had met Val McCarthy in Dunmanway on August 25 and had gone for coffee with him in a local cafe. He said in the afternoon they had gone to Mr McCarthy’s apartment where the two men had “a few whiskies”. 

Mr Sherlock said at about 1am on the morning of August 26, Mr McCarthy went to the toilet and as he was returning to the living room he “keeled over without saying anything”. 

Mr Sherlock said: “I was in shock, I’ve never seen anyone drop like that.” 

He added he attempted CPR but Mr McCarthy was unresponsive. He then attempted to call several people he knew but nobody answered. He then went home, drank “half a naggin of rum”, took two valium and went to bed.

Garda Paul Breen said when he attended the scene Mr McCarthy was lying face down and there was a small amount of blood near his nose. He said there was a television on the floor next to him which looked like it had been knocked over as Mr McCarthy fell. 

He said when he asked Mr Sherlock why he did not call the emergency services he replied he did not know the number.

Coroner Frank O’Connell said it was “a most unusual case” where a witness to a death did not alert the authorities but he added mobile phone records and CCTV footage largely corroborated Mr Sherlock’s version of events. 

He said the post-mortem examination showed Mr McCarthy’s blood alcohol level of 348 mg/dL was close the fatal level.

He said the head trauma Mr McCarthy suffered was consistent with a fall and not with being hit or struck and his level of intoxication would have made him extremely unsteady on his feet. 

He said Mr McCarthy had suffered a fractured skull and the cause of death was a traumatic subarachnoid haemorrhage complicated by acute alcoholic intoxication. 

The coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death and offered his sympathy to Mr McCarthy’s two sons, who attended the inquest.