The father of a young man who passed away two years ago abruptly left his son’s inquest, alleging that he had not properly identified the teenager to the authorities. The incident unfolded at Dublin District Coroner’s Court when coroner Aisling Gannon attempted to present a postmortem report on the death of Brandon Buckley, 18. The proceedings were halted after an outburst from Alan Donoghue, who criticized the inquest and accused someone of mishandling the situation.
Following a request for a six-month adjournment of the inquest by a law enforcement officer, citing the submission of a file on the Garda investigation to the DPP, tensions escalated. Mr. Buckley tragically passed away at his sneaker store in Dublin on October 27, 2023, as stated in a death notice by his family on the RIP.ie website.
During the hearing, Mr. Donoghue disputed an officer’s claim that he had identified the deceased at the store premises. He expressed confusion, stating that he did not recall providing any information to the police regarding his son’s death. Despite admitting his presence at the scene, Mr. Donoghue insisted that proper procedures were not followed, emphasizing that he had informed the authorities about his son’s location but had not been informed to visit the morgue.
The coroner emphasized the necessity of confirming the deceased’s identification and Mr. Donoghue’s cooperation with the authorities during such distressing circumstances for the investigation to proceed. Mr. Donoghue’s frustration with the process and his belief that protocols were not being adhered to were evident during the exchange with the coroner.
After a series of confrontations, Mr. Donoghue decided to leave the witness box, expressing his lack of understanding of the situation and frustration with the proceedings. The coroner adjourned the hearing due to the heightened emotions, promising to communicate with the family about the next steps in the inquest. She recognized Mr. Donoghue’s grief over his son’s passing.
The interaction concluded with Mr. Donoghue exiting the courtroom, criticizing the handling of the situation and expressing his discontent with the proceedings. The coroner assured the family that further arrangements would be made, potentially scheduling another session before or after the Christmas period.