A chef who fell to the ground after an altercation with security staff at a Dublin city bar was found dead in his home two days later after suffering a traumatic head injury.
An inquest at Dublin District Coroner’s Court heard on Thursday rigor mortis had set in by the time James Kailedzi was discovered by concerned friends on March 25th, 2023.
The 31-year-old, originally from Malawi, had gone to the Pygmalion bar two nights before with two others, one of whom, Arthur Bradford, was denied entry.
Mr Bradford, who gave evidence remotely, claimed he and Mr Kailedzi were subsequently “followed” by the security staff from Coppinger Row towards South William Street before he saw them “grabbing” Mr Kailedzi.
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“The next image I have is James lying on the ground. There was physical contact, and James was on the ground. I can’t say how he got there,” he said.
He said his friend was unconscious for a short period, and once he regained consciousness, he left and walked home alone, saying he seemed “a bit drowsy”, but believed at the time that this was due to alcohol.
He called Mr Kailedzi several times the next day, but the calls went unanswered, and ultimately went to his apartment on the Saturday with other friends. After gaining entry, they discovered Mr Kailedzi deceased on his bed.
Reo Odirile, a regular patron of the Pygmalion bar who was present that night, recalled seeing both Mr Kailedzi and Mr Bradford at the entrance, claiming they were “quite aggressive”.
He claimed he later saw the security staff, Leonardo Santos and Gabriel Manfrim, “pushing” both of them towards South William Street, away from the entrance, and alleged that Mr Kailedzi was “swinging” at Mr Santos at one point.
“I saw Leo push this guy, who swung at him and swung away from him. The next thing I saw was this guy on the ground, I didn’t see how he hit the ground,” he said, adding he seemed “wobbly” after he got up.
“After they walked away, I spoke with the two security guards and said it didn’t have to happen that way. I felt that the security overreacted because they’re normally so calm,” he said.
Another witness, Sean Richardson, who was not present on Thursday, claimed in a statement he saw Mr Kailedzi push Mr Santos before he was pushed back and fell “like somebody who got knocked out at the UFC”.
He recalled seeing Mr Kailedzi hitting his head on a pole as he fell.
State Pathologist Dr Heidi Okkers, who carried out a postmortem, said Mr Kailedzi died from a traumatic head injury, which was sustained from a fall backwards from a standing height.
She said there were no injuries observed that would indicate assault.
Dr Okkers told coroner Aisling Gannon “you can walk for a period and only afterwards develop the effects” of such an injury.
The inquest is due to resume on Friday, during which evidence will be heard from both Mr Santos and Mr Manfrim.
