Paul Hosford: Grief prolonged at understaffed Cork Coroners' Court

Evan Gearns holding a picture of his deceased brother Andrew. He is not looking for blame to be apportioned. He simply wants his family to have answers in a reasonable timeframe. Photo: David Keane
When Andrew Gearns died last October, his family was denied a proper funeral by Covid restrictions.
The nature of his death by suicide in Cork Prison means an inquest into Andrew's death is required but a year and a fortnight later, his family has yet to hear when that might happen. The father-of-two's family has waited through a full year and all that it brings without the ability to bring closure to the case.