'More should have been done in prison to save Andrew's life', says Cork family

Andrew Gearns took his own life days after entering Cork Prison. Now his grieving family are asking if he could have been saved

Andrew Gearns took his own life days after entering Cork Prison. File picture

The grieving family of a man who took his own life days after entering prison while at “a very low ebb” believe that more should have been done to protect him.

Andrew Gearns, aged 29, from Model Farm Rd in Cork entered Cork Prison in September, 2020 while his life was unravelling due to drug addiction.

Senior counsel for the family Elizabeth O’Connell, said that they now “question could he have been protected and saved.”

His family believe that with care, and probably some psychiatric support, Andrew likely could have been saved, Ms O’Connell said: 

He should have been given a chance. He should have been given protection. 

She said that CCTV footage of the 72 hours around Andrew’s death should have been provided to the court, but that only a limited amount of CCTV “post-red alert’ after Andrew had been discovered was made available.

Helen O’Driscoll, BL, for the State, said if full CCTV was so critical to the case, concerns should have been raised when it was sent in June not just last week.

However, coroner Phillip Comyn adjourned the inquest after it emerged in court that the full 72 hours of CCTV did exist, saying it was only fair to the family to allow the full footage to be viewed by Ms O’Connell before proceeding.

Twelve members of Andrew’s family and friends were present in Cork Coroner’s Court on Washington St on Wednesday, including his parents, grandparents, brother Evan, and partner Amanda O’Callaghan.

The late Andrew Gearns pictured in happier times with his brother Evan who said: 'Andrew was very loved. He just went down the wrong path in life.' File picture

Evan Gearns told the Irish Examiner that the family had been angry about ongoing delays with the inquest (they have already been waiting for two years) but they were grateful that full CCTV footage could now be viewed after the coroner’s decision to adjourn.

“We want this done properly, not with CCTV and witnesses missing. We’ve already waited so long for this,” Mr Gearns said.

It’s a disgrace that CCTV is still missing. Families should not have to go through this.

“The State should have everything in order, not handing over partial CCTV... As a family, we’re going to hear terrible things. It’s torture waiting. Now we’ll probably be waiting another year for it.

“Andrew was very loved. He just went down the wrong path in life.”

Mr Comyns said that when a death occurs in prison, the 72 hours of CCTV from that time is retained.

He asked how that 72 hours of footage was condensed to just some time following the ‘red alert’ when Andrew was discovered.

“I wasn’t aware of such a practice and would not have agreed to such a practice,” he said.

He also asked whether risk alerts activated for Andrew during earlier spells in prison, once after he described a previous suicide attempt, were provided to medics when he returned to prison.