Third party involvement in the death of a Latvian national who drowned last year cannot be ruled out, deputy State Pathologist Dr Michael Curtis has indicated at an inquest.
The body of Igor Bandarenko (35), Drogheda, Co Louth, was discovered in the water at Howth pier in Dublin, with ropes tied around both ankles to an anchor, on October 4th, 2006.
Dr Curtis, who carried out the postmortem, told Dublin County Coroner's Court yesterday that three findings at postmortem raised questions surrounding the circumstances of his death.
The man's "ankles were bound and weighed down", there was "damage to the structure of his throat" and "his lungs didn't show textbook features of drowning", he told an inquest into his death yesterday. These three reasons gave him "overall cause for concern" about the circumstances of the man's death.
Coroner Dr Kieran Geraghty returned an open verdict on the man's death. He said that considering the pathologist's evidence, he favoured this ruling over a verdict of death by suicide.
Dr Curtis told the inquest that it would have been possible for the man to have tied the ropes around his own ankles. He also said it was a "satisfactory explanation" that the damage to Mr Bandarenko's throat could have occurred as he was pulled from the water. In relation to his drowning not being considered "textbook", the pathologist said this could occur for a number of reasons. "But there were certain factors that gave me cause to stop and pause and think," he added. The postmortem also found a high level of alcohol in his system.
A Garda press officer said they were not treating the death as suspicious as there "was no evidence of foul play".
Mr Bandarenko had been working as a fisherman since he arrived in Ireland seven months before his death. A statement from Victoria Lognova, who was not present in court, stated that Mr Bandarenko was a childhood friend of her boyfriend, and became very upset when he died after taking heroin in Dublin in June 2006. She said he began to drink heavily after her boyfriend's death and had fallen out with some of his friends.
A statement from fisherman Patrick Smith, who employed Mr Bandarenko, said he was pleased with his work and was owed €738 at the time of his death.