Man arrested at hospital ED spent just 17 minutes in custody, inquest hears

A father of three who died after being arrested and removed from the emergency department of Midlands Regional Hospital Mullingar in 2019 spent just 17 minutes in Garda custody before being released, an inquest into his death has heard.

Mullingar man, Danny McCormack, was 40 years old when he arrived at the hospital on the evening of March 23, 2019, complaining of chest pains.

Shortly after his release from Garda custody, Mr McCormack suffered a heart attack and, soon after he was returned to the hospital by ambulance, he was pronounced dead.

CCTV played at an inquest into his death showed the man stumbling from a taxi towards the hospital entrance and making his way to the A&E department.

The man is seen in various CCTV clips clutching his chest and showing signs of distress before he is ultimately escorted out of the hospital by Gardaí and hospital security for “aggressive” behaviour.

Outside the hospital, CCTV shows a discussion with Gardaí before Mr McCormack is tackled to the ground and arrested under Section 6 of the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 1994.

Hazel McCormack, the wife of the deceased, said that her husband had been complaining of chest pains for a number of days and, on the evening of March 23, 2019, asked her to call someone to look after their two youngest children so they could go to the hospital.

Ms McCormack, seeing the urgency of the situation, put her husband in a taxi and told him to go to the hospital, assuring him she would follow as soon as someone arrived to take care of the children.

His lips were blue, she said, and he was clutching his chest in pain. She rang ahead to inform the hospital that he was coming by taxi and that he might be “agitated” because she wasn't there yet. She requested that someone meet him urgently at the entrance but nobody did.

Shortly afterwards, two of her sisters arrived and Ms McCormack made her way to the hospital on foot, accompanied by her sister, Tara Rhatigan.

When they arrived at the hospital, they observed Mr McCormack sitting on the ground outside, with two Gardaí standing beside him.

Ms McCormack, at the inquest, said she told Gardaí her husband was “on the verge of a heart attack”, but said one of the officers told her he'd “already been checked out” and that she should “bring him home”.

She and Ms Rhatigan both gave evidence that, as they were walking away, they heard Gardaí mention boxing, suggesting Mr McCormack “wanted a box” and “sneering”.

“When I mentioned to the Gardaí that he had mental health issues, they looked at each other and said ‘well he's in the wrong hospital then’,” said Ms McCormack.

“Then we heard the word ‘box’ from behind us. Danny turned around and said very calmly, ‘do you want to box a man who is about to have a heart attack?’”

She said one of the Gardaí then “body slammed” her husband to the ground.

“You could hear the bang. It was terrifying,” she said tearfully.

She and her sister were also warned by Gardaí to leave the hospital or they would be arrested.

“We did nothing wrong. We just pleaded and begged and not one of them listened.

“And now my husband is dead. And my poor children… it's been hell for my poor children and myself,” said Ms McCormack.

She also recalled seeing one of the Gardaí turn and elbow her husband while he was in the back of the Garda car, causing her to become “hysterical” and tell Gardaí “if anything happens to my husband, it's in your hands”.

When she spoke to one of the nurses who had encountered her husband, Ms McCormack was told that her husband had not been treated.

The shift manager, along with other staff members who were on duty in the A&E department that night, all gave evidence that Mr McCormack had been agitated and repeatedly asking to be seen.

However, they said, when attempts were made to perform an ECG and to get administrative details from him, he became increasingly agitated and refused to cooperate, even pulling the leads for the ECG off.

Security was called and Gardaí received reports of a disturbance shortly after 8pm, and arrested Mr McCormack soon afterwards.

Giving evidence at the inquest, both Gardaí denied sneering or saying Mr McCormack was “looking for a box” as he was walking away with his wife and sister-in-law.

Both said Mr McCormack turned around and said “would you fight a man who is having a heart attack?” before telling one of them “I'll box you in the face”.

It was at that stage that Gardaí effected arrest. However, they denied “body slamming” him to the ground and insisted “reasonable force was used”.

They said that any abrasions on Mr McCormack's person were caused by him resisting arrest.

A GSOC investigation was conducted and it was concluded that there was no wrongdoing by any member of An Garda Síochána.

Mr McCormack was held in Garda custody for just 17 minutes, the inquest heard.

When it was put to Gardaí that this was because someone had realised Mr McCormack shouldn't have been there in the first place, it was heard that the man had “calmed down” and become “apologetic” following his arrest. He was released and given a lift home.

By this stage, his wife had attended at the Garda Station but received a text from her daughter saying “Daddy is home”.

While en-route home from the station, she received a phone call from her daughter, who told her “Daddy is bleeding”.

“I asked her to calm down and asked where he was bleeding from. Then I heard her screaming and saying ‘Daddy is dead’,” said Ms McCormack in her statement.

When she arrived to the house, her neighbour was outside on the phone and her husband was on the ground inside the house, on his side.

Her neighbour performed extensive CPR and Mr McCormack was vomiting. He was also bleeding from his nose.

When the ambulance arrived, he was returned to Mullingar hospital and Ms McCormack was taken to a waiting room.

A short while later, she was brought into the room where her husband was and told that, while a medical team “worked on him for 45 minutes”, he had unfortunately passed away.

The inquest continues tomorrow morning at Mullingar courthouse.