Jury delivers open verdict in Clancy death inquest

STUDENT SHANE Clancy died of a self-inflicted stab wound to the heart having stabbed himself 19 times, an inquest was told yesterday.

Mr Clancy (22) killed himself after killing Sebastian Creane and injuring two other people in the early hours of Sunday, August 16th, last year. The attack took place at the Creane family home in Coolagrove, Bray, Co Wicklow.

The inquest jury returned an open verdict after being given two options by the East Wicklow coroner Dr Cathal Louth, either death by suicide or an open verdict.

The verdict was welcomed afterwards by the Clancy family who maintained during the hearing that his decision to commit suicide was so out of character that it must have resulted from the drugs he was taking.

A jury in Wicklow town was told that Mr Clancy had become jealous of the relationship that Mr Creane had with his ex-girlfriend Jennifer Hannigan.

He had become increasingly remorseful that they had split up and had changed when he realised that she was going out with Mr Creane.

On the night he died, he went into the Creane family home and had tea with Sebastian Creane. He was asked to leave when he looked for a knife or a scissors to cut his laces. He left the house, went to a 24-hour Dunnes Stores and bought five knives.

He returned to the Creane home and attacked Sebastian Creane, stabbing him to death. He also stabbed Ms Hannigan, who was in the house at the time, in the back.

After that, he attacked Dylan Creane, the brother of Sebastian who had been asleep upstairs, and stabbed him nine times.

Dylan Creane said when he saw the knife he realised that Mr Clancy was trying to kill him. It was only later when he went upstairs after the attack that he realised that he had been repeatedly stabbed.

In a statement read to the inquest jury, Ms Hannigan said that Mr Clancy had visited her father’s workplace on August 15th. She was there and hid.

Mr Clancy was reported to have said then that he was “put on the planet to love me and nobody would love me as much as he did”.

On the night that he died, Sebastian Creane and twin brothers Gareth and Ross Cahill went to the Eagle House pub in Sandycove where they met Mr Clancy. They then went on to the Queens nightclub nearby.

When the night was over, Mr Clancy offered to drive the three of them home.

In written testimony Gareth Cahill said that Mr Clancy had been very quiet all night and had driven very aggressively on the way home. When Mr Clancy told Sebastian Creane that he knew where he lived, Sebastian showed a text to Gareth which read: “He knows where I live, he will have an axe murderer after me.”

Ross Cahill told the inquest jury that when he got dropped off he texted Sebastian with the message: “Are you f***ing crazy you should definitely stay here. That guy is not right. Make sure he drops you at another address.”

Ms Hannigan returned to the Creane house at 3.30am after Mr Clancy had left the first time and before he returned. She received a message from Mr Clancy which read: “Jen, I did something stupid and I’m going to die now.”

After several phone-calls from him, he turned up at the house and began the attack which led to the deaths of two people, including himself, and serious injuries to two others.

Dr Louth expressed sympathy to both families and praised Ms Hannigan and Mr Creane for having the courage to come to court and give evidence. He expressed a desire that they would find happiness in their lives.