A “TERRIFIED” woman called the Garda after her delusional ex-boyfriend, who believed men with guns were after him, grabbed a knife and began waving it at her sister, an inquest has heard.
Paul Magee (19), of Rutland Grove, Crumlin, Dublin, was pronounced dead at St James’s Hospital on December 26th, 2002, having been found unconscious in a cell at Kilmainham Garda station, a short time after he arrived there following his arrest.
Dublin City Coroner’s Court heard that Samantha Dowdall ran out of her sister Jacqueline Dowdall’s flat at Dolphin House in the early hours of December 26th accompanied by three of her friends, and called the Garda.
“I was terrified of him ... he was tripping ... he was hallucinating. He kept saying they have a gun, they are going to get me,” Ms Dowdall said. “He had a split personality when he took cocaine.”
The inquest, which first opened in February 2004, heard that Mr Magee arrived at the flat at about 2-2.30 where the girls were having a few drinks, and seemed normal at first, but then started acting aggressively and paranoid.
Jacqueline Dowdall, whose two-year-old son was asleep at the time, asked Mr Magee, who had previously been in a relationship with her sister, to leave the flat.
Mr Magee left, but within a few seconds he kicked at the front door and when Jacqueline Dowdall opened the door, pushed his way in and told the group of five there were men with guns after him. He then grabbed the knife.
“He was out of it and mad when he came in,” said Ms Dowdall, who said she saw cocaine around his lips and that he was “imagining things”. She had spent a number of hours with Mr Magee on Christmas Day and he told her he had taken cocaine earlier.
Garda Nathan McKenna of Kilmainham Garda station said he arrested Magee at the flat at 4.30am for assault and public order offences.
Garda McKenna, who was driving, said Mr Magee told his colleague he had taken a “speedball”.
They arrived at the station at approximately 4.45 and Mr Magee, who became aggressive again, was placed in a cell in handcuffs, which were not removed.
When Garda Ronan Lawlor went to the cell to help in removing his shoes at 4.57am he found him collapsed in the cell, kneeling on the ground with his upper body on the bed and his hands handcuffed behind his back. He was blue in colour and did not appear to be breathing.
Gardaí commenced CPR and Mr Magee, who had suffered a cardiac arrest, was brought by ambulance to St James’s where he was resuscitated. He suffered a second cardiac arrest a short time later.
Coroner Dr Brian Farrell adjourned the inquest to February 2010 when State Pathologist Prof Marie Cassidy will give evidence.