Mayo family make fresh appeal following Belmullet man's death

THE family of a Mayo man who was found dead outside his home near Belmullet have appealed for the last people to see him alive to come forward and bring some closure.

The body of Seán Gaughan (56) of Cross West, Binghamstown, Belmullet was found dead outside his home on March 25 last by a neighbour who had not seen him for over a week.

The inquest into the death of Mr Gaughan heard that he frequently visited pubs in Belmullet and Binghamstown but no witnesses came forward with information to Gardaí on when he was last seen.

A post mortem found the cause of death was due to subarachnoid hemorrhage – bleeding of the brain – following a fall and a Garda investigation ruled out any foul play associated with the death.

However, the Coroner for Mayo Dr Eleanor Fitzgerald said there were a lot of questions which needed answers and recorded an open verdict.

Not sleeping

Mary Keane, a sister of Mr Gaughan, told the inquest that her brother had been in good form when she last saw her brother in Belmullet on March 18. She said the lack of information as to what happened to him was keeping her up at night.

“I'm not sleeping at night since he died without knowing who brought him home or what pub he was in. All I want them to do is to come forward and say where he was and give me some peace of mind. That is all I want them to do. I just want them to say where he was and who brought him home,” Mary tearfully told the inquest.

Jarlath Keane, a nephew of Mr Gaughan said that the family accepted that there was no foul play associated with his death but there were a number of questions they needed answering.

“If he got a lift home or was in a pub why not say he was in a pub. We are happy enough with how he died and he fell outside the house but the problem is how did he get to the house. Where did he get the alcohol? Somebody must have seen him that day if there was alcohol in his body,” he said, adding that his uncle was well liked and nobody should be fearful of providing information.

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The inquest heard that Mr Gaughan enjoyed socialising in pubs in Belmullet every Monday after collecting his social welfare.

Kieran Lavelle, a neighbour and friend of Mr Gaughan told the inquest, which took place today in Ballina Courthouse, that he last saw him on March 16 in the local pub in Binghamstown.

Mr Lavelle explained that he became concerned that Mr Gaughan had not attended the funeral of a neighbour and called to his house with another friend after the burial in Cross Cemetery on the afternoon of March 25.

As they walked to the back of the house they saw him lying on the ground and he knew by his colour that he had died. In his deposition to the inquest, Mr Lavelle said he saw gashes to the back of Mr Lavelle's head and rang 999 straight away.

Investigation

Garda Sarah McLoughlin who attended the scene told Dr Fitzgerald that Mr Gaughan was fully clothed and there were blood stains on three locations on the concrete around where he lay. She added there were substantial blood stains on the porch door and the walls and his wallet and door key was lying against the door step. She said the house was secure and all the doors were locked.

Garda McLoughlin explained that he had a cut to the back of his head and forehead and his clothes were heavily bloodstained.

Family of Seán Gaughan have appealed for information surrounding his death

Following the discovery of the body, door to door enquiries were carried out and pubs which Mr Gaughan frequented were also visited by Gardaí to see if anyone had seen him.

When asked by Dr Fitzgerald if Mr Gaughan was dropped home by a taxi, Garda McLoughlin said she spoke to local taxi drivers who did not recall seeing him.

Garda McLoughlin added that nobody in pubs he frequented recalled seeing him in the days before he died while a close friend had not seen him since St Patrick's weekend.

“It is amazing that nobody saw Seán because he was somebody you would frequently see on the road but nobody has come forward,” Garda McLoughlin said, adding he did not drive and would walk and thump lifts.

'Bit of a mystery'

When asked by Dr Fitzgerald what she thinks happened to him, Garda McLoughlin said she could only presume he had been drinking somewhere and had fallen at the back of the house after coming home. She also felt he got disoriented after banging his head and was not able to get into the house.

“It is a bit of a mystery here with a lot of unanswered questions,” commented Dr Fitzgerald.

Dr Fadel Bennani, Consultant Pathologist at Mayo University Hospital who performed the post mortem on Mr Gaughan stated that there was dried blood on his face and the body showed signs of decomposition.

He explained that as well as the head injury there was blood in his stomach which showed he suffered from hemorrhagic gastritis and he also had liver disease. Dr Bennani speculated that the blood to the face may also be a result of him vomiting as well as from the cuts to the head.

The level of alcohol in his system was 101mg per 100ml of blood which was described as mild to moderate but Dr Bennani said it can cause disorientation and result in a fall.

When asked about the time of death, Dr Bennani said that it was very hard to determine as March can still be cold but given the level of decomposition he estimated he occurred two days previously. He said if he had died on March 18, the level of decomposition would have been severe.

Dr Fitzgerald said that she was satisfied that foul play was not a cause of his death but added that death was not natural and there was not sufficient evidence to say how or when death occurred.

As a result she said that she was recording an open verdict and hoped that someone will come forward with more information in order to close the inquest.

“There are a lot of unknowns which are not helping the family,” she said while expressing her sympathies to the family of Mr Gaughan.

Court presenter, Sergeant Seán McHale also expressed his sympathies to his family and also hoped that people who may have seen him after March 18 will come forward with information.