Family to learn outcome next week of inquiry into Patrick Nugent’s death

Department of Justice officials will next week meet the family of a banqueting manager who died in suspicious circumstances in 1984, to learn the outcome of an inquiry established 33 years after he died and completed last year.

Minister for Justice Heather Humphreys said she had received and considered the Attorney General's advice on the report of the inquiry into the death of 23-year-old Patrick Nugent at the end of a 40th wedding anniversary party at Bunratty Folk Park on February 11th, 1984.

She said the department had invited the Nugent family to a meeting "to explain the next steps" regarding the report of the inquiry by retired District Court Judge Patrick Clyne into the Garda investigation and internal Garda disciplinary inquiries that took place following Mr Nugent's death.

“I appreciate that Mr Nugent’s family are most anxious to receive the outcome of Judge Clyne’s investigation,” she added.

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Ms Humphreys was responding to Independent TD Michael McNamara who has raised Mr Nugent’s case a number of times.

The Clare TD said that at his inquest in 1985 the jury was “far from satisfied” about the circumstances in which Mr Nugent was fatally injured and called on the minister for justice to investigate the matter further.

But “it took until 2017 for an inquiry to be established” and he reported in October last year. Mr McNamara said he had repeatedly asked what was happening and was told it was being reviewed by the AG.

“What is the delay?” he asked. “This family has waited long enough for a report into what happened to their son and brother in 1984.”

Disciplinary inquiries

The inquiry was to examine any disciplinary inquiries that took place within the Garda between 1984 and 1986 after Mr Nugent’s death.

Two off-duty gardaí were at the party when the 23-year-old suffered fatal injuries. More than three decades since his death, the individual or individuals who inflicted the fatal injuries have never been identified.

Mr Nugent, of Feenagh, Sixmilebridge, was supervising the party for William Ryan, a well-known and long-time chef at Shannon Airport, and his wife Chrissie at the Bunratty Folk Park, when he suffered fatal injuries as the premises were being cleared and guests were leaving the venue at about 4am that morning.

A pathologist found shortly after the death that the injuries to Mr Nugent’s body were consistent with a crushing injury and being struck by a car, and that he had been in a crouching or lying position at the time.

Then minister for justice Frances Fitzgerald in 2017 launched an inquiry into Mr Nugent’s death after a long campaign by his late parents Joe and Nellie and brothers Martin and John to have the cold case reopened to find out how Mr Nugent died.

His death is among 320 cases examined by the Independent Review Mechanism set up in May 2014 to consider allegations of Garda misconduct or inadequacies in the investigation of those allegations.

The case is one of just a handful to proceed to full inquiry.