Photos of Wheelock injuries considered at inquest

Photographs of injuries to a man who died after being in Garda custody were considered in detail at a resumed inquest yesterday into his death.

Terence Wheelock (20) died in the Mater hospital in Dublin in September 2005. He had spent three months in a coma, having been found unconscious in Store Street Garda station on June 2nd.

Gardaí say he attempted to hang himself with a cord from his tracksuit bottoms. His family dispute this and claim he was mistreated in Garda custody.

Giving evidence at Dublin Coroner's Court yesterday, State Pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy outlined her views on photographs taken at the Mater hospital's intensive care unit on June 3rd, 2005, by the director of clinical photography, Florence Grehan.

The inquest was adjourned last November to allow Dr Cassidy to view photographs taken at the Wheelock family's request.

Insp Seán Campbell of Blackrock Garda station told the coroner he had been provided with the photographs by the court and had had copies made for Dr Cassidy at Garda headquarters.

Dr Cassidy talked the court through the photographs, describing the ligature mark around Mr Wheelock's neck as "narrow", "almost traversely across the neck", "well delineated" and "consistent with a shoe lace" or thin cord.

She also described "several small" marks on his hands, bruising and abrasion marks around his shins and knees and a fresh, small, red wound on the small of his back.

She said the wounds were "very difficult to date, especially when they were healing". She said they were "a day or two old".

During her evidence there was a request from the coroner, Dr Brian Farrell, to view the photographs of injuries to Mr Wheelock's hands. When the photographs in possession of the court were shown on an overhead screen, Dr Cassidy remarked they were a lot more detailed than the ones she had viewed.

"These show a totally different picture," she said. "There is much more injury in these photographs. The redness is much more prominent." She gave the court clerk her copy of the same picture of the right hand, which appeared paler and with fewer marks across the knuckles.

Insp Campbell said the difference was "probably [ due to] the quality of the paper and the equipment" at Garda headquarters.

Dr Cassidy was asked at the end of her evidence whether the enhanced quality of the original photographs changed her view of the level or cause of injuries. She answered: "No, coroner."

Dr Farrell also asked her if the injuries suggested an assault.

"I would be looking for other injuries. Injuries to knees and legs are common in young men." Asked whether she would exclude an assault, she said: "The injuries to the hands could have occurred in an assault situation."

The court also heard from Garda Mary Murphy, the jailer on duty when Mr Wheelock was taken into custody. She had checked on Mr Wheelock in his cell at 2.10pm and he had been "breathing". She entered this into the custody record.

Counsel for the Wheelock family Seán Gillane asked how she could have been checking Mr Wheelock at 2.10pm when the record showed she was dealing with a new prisoner at 2.10 pm.

"You described this document [custody record] as the most important document you could fill in in your capacity," said Mr Gillane. "That's correct," said Garda Murphy.

"So you couldn't have been checking Terence Wheelock at 2.10pm?"

"It could have been at 2.09 pm," she replied. When it was put to her she was "very precise" with other entries, she said she was "one hundred per cent" certain she had checked on Mr Wheelock at 2.09pm or 2.10pm.