Two women had been putting plastic bag over head of man found suffocated, inquest hears

A jury at the inquest of a 32-year-old man who was suffocated with plastic bags has returned a verdict of unlawful killing. Ian Quinn was found dead in his apartment at Annaly Grove, Ongar, Dublin 15 on May 31 2014.

Two women had been putting plastic bag over head of man found suffocated, inquest hears

By Louise Roseingrave

A jury at the inquest of a 32-year-old man who was suffocated with plastic bags has returned a verdict of unlawful killing. Ian Quinn was found dead in his apartment at Annaly Grove, Ongar, Dublin 15 on May 31 2014.

Witness Robert Byrne told an inquest into the man’s death at Dublin Coroner’s Court that two women approached him screaming for help around 3.20am on May 31 2014.

“There was no one around. They came running from the apartments calling out, saying ‘Help’ and asking to use my phone,” Mr Byrne said.

“They made the call on the phone. They said they were asleep and when they woke up the man in the house was not moving and not breathing,” he said.

“They were shaking and seemed scared but they weren’t crying,” he said.

“They said on the phone that they’d been up since 10am drinking and had slept and then woken up but they could not wake him,” Mr Byrne said.

Paramedics entered the house and found the man dead. When Gardai arrived one of the women revealed they had held a plastic bag over the man’s head.

Garda Adrian Kildea said he responded to a call to Annaly Grove and found a man stripped to his boxers with bruising on his arms.

“There were two females on the couch. One of the females disclosed ‘we had a bag over his head’ and the other nudged her. They admitted they had been drinking for two days and both had placed plastic bags over his head and shouted, ‘how do you like that’?”

Gardai found several small plastic bags on the kitchen floor. The bags were tested and Mr Quinn’s DNA was found on them.

State pathologist Professor Marie Cassidy said death by suffocation using plastic bags showed no specific autopsy findings. She gave the cause of death was consistent with plastic bag suffocation and said this was this was a diagnosis of exclusion.

Prof Cassidy found a number of surface injuries to the body, including scratch marks to the face that she said could have resulted from fingernails. Ian Quinn had a black eye and a scratch under his nose along with a number of bruises to his face that could have been caused by minor blows and slaps, Prof Cassidy said. The pathologist noted a number of bruises to his forearms that could have been signs of ‘gripping,’ the court heard.

“The post-mortem findings support that death could be due to plastic bag suffocation,” Prof Cassidy told the court.

A toxicology screening found a high level of alcohol in Mr Quinn's system along with a number of prescription drugs, including diazepam, alprazolam and zopiclone, all of which were present at therapeutic levels.

Prof Cassidy said this combination could have affected his actions and reactions including his ability to defend himself.

Mr Quinn’s brother Karl Finnegan was in court to give evidence of the formal identification but he left during the pathologist’s evidence.

Detective Superintendent Colm Murphy told the court that a murder investigation was launched following Mr Quinn’s death. Two women were charged with the man’s murder. The two women offered guilty pleas to manslaughter as the trial was to commence on March 5 last. Both were found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to six years in prison.

The jury returned a verdict of unlawful killing in accordance with the findings of the criminal trial judge.

Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane extended her sympathies to the man’s family.

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