Garda warned superiors man was danger to others, inquest hears

Three years before Richard McLaughlin fatally injured a 20-year-old Sligo man using a crowbar, a local garda had written to his superiors saying he believed Mr McLaughlin was a danger to his mother and others, a coroner was told on Monday.

Sligo Coroner’s Court is hearing an inquest into the death of Jimmy Loughlin (20), a native of Ballintogher, Co Sligo, who was killed in his rented home at Connolly Street, Sligo, on February 24th, 2018.

In July 2019 at the Central Criminal Court, Richard McLaughlin (35), with an address at The Laurels, Woodtown Lodge, Sligo, was found not guilty by reason of insanity of the murder of Jimmy Loughlin.

Garda James Connelly told the inquest that he had written to his superiors in April 2015 pointing out that Mr McLoughlin had sent texts to his mother threatening violence saying he would “slit her throat” and “burn her out”. He said when he met Mr McLaughlin in April 2015 it became apparent immediately that he was not well. He was speaking about the “dark web” and he thought members of the public were laughing at him.

Asked by Damien Tansey SC, representing Jimmy Loughlin’s family, if he had been surprised by subsequent events, Garda Conneely said he had not been. He agreed he believed Mr McLaughlin was a danger to himself, his mother, a named family, the public and gardaí and “to everyone in sight”. Mr McLaughlin subsequently spent two months in St Columba’s hospital in Sligo.

‘Light of our lives’

In a joint statement read to the inquest by a relative, Michael and Paula Loughlin described their son as “the light of our lives”. They recalled that Jimmy, who had lunch with them to celebrate a new job the day before he died, had been due to work a shift at McDonalds fast food restaurant in Sligo at 4pm on February 24th, 2018.

They were due to drive him to work that day and were on their way into Sligo when they got a call from one of their son’s housemates, who was out of town, telling them he had been told there was a commotion at the door of their house in Connolly Street. The couple drove directly there and saw two ambulances and a Garda cordon around the house when they arrived at 1.30pm . They were not allowed in but were told their son was “seriously ill”.

The couple recalled how they were taken to the nearby Sligo Garda station where after 30 minutes they were informed that Jimmy had died. “We were utterly devastated,” they said.

Sgt Carmel McGrath told the jury she had investigated an incident in 2012 when Mr McLaughlin had tied up his mother with the belt of her dressing gown and threatened her with a machete knife. She was held against her will for two hours and was in fear of her son, Sgt McGrath said. Mr McLaughlin was subsequently detained under the Mental Health Act.

Bashing at door

Sgt McGrath told Mr Tansey that gardaí asked to be informed when Mr McLaughlin was discharged from St Columba’s hospital. She said she had concerns for the safety of his mother.

The woman who raised the alarm on the day Jimmy Loughlin died said she was driving through Sligo that lunchtime when she saw a man “holding what looked like a hurley stick” bashing a yellow door on Connolly Street. In a statement, Annemarie Southcombe said that when her car came alongside the door she saw that it had opened and, as she drove past the door, she could see the man “with the stick” with his back to her, and she could hear shouting.

She knew from the man’s body language he was shouting at someone. She pulled in and phoned the Garda at 1.17pm.

The jury heard when gardaí arrived at the scene they found a man lying at the foot of the stairs. He had suffered serious head and facial injuries and there was a lot of blood. Garda Kevin Donegan said he checked for a pulse but could not find one.

Garda TJ Gallagher, who knocked on Mr McLaughlin’s door in the City Gate apartments, said “it seemed if he was expecting gardaí to arrive at his home”.

Gardaí saw a black crowbar leaning against the wall in the sitting room. He said he asked Mr McLaughlin if he knew why they were there and he replied, “I killed a man.”

The inquest continues on Tuesday.