Inquest jury calls for garda restraint training after Dublin man's prone-position death

Ronan Lawless, 35, died in Beaumont Hospital in 2022 after being held prone by gardaí for 16 minutes. An inquest jury returned a verdict of death by misadventure.

Death by misadventure recorded after Balbriggan man held prone by gardaí for 16 minutes

A Dublin inquest jury has returned a verdict of death by misadventure in the case of Ronan Lawless, a 35-year-old electrician and father from Tara Court, Balbriggan, who died at Beaumont Hospital on 23 November 2022 — one week after an incident outside his home, RTÉ News reports.

The jury also issued a series of recommendations concerning garda training on restraint techniques and related matters.

Cocaine, cardiac arrest and positional asphyxia

Pathologist Sally Anne Collis told Dublin District Coroner's Court that a postmortem examination established Mr Lawless died from a brain injury caused by oxygen deprivation, following a cardiac arrest. Dr Collis attributed the arrest to "a state of agitation, a period of exertion and restraint in a prone position with cocaine intoxication." She noted that cocaine — for which Mr Lawless tested positive — is well known to cause irregular heart rhythms, and that his altered psychological and physiological state would have placed significant strain on his heart and brain.

What CCTV footage showed

Gardaí had been called to the property in the early hours of 16 November 2022 by Mr Lawless's mother, Phyliss Lawless, who was concerned about her son's erratic behaviour. Video doorbell footage captured Mr Lawless jumping over a wall into a neighbour's garden and throwing a garden bench toward gardaí before being brought to the ground in a prone position at 4.08am. It took a further six minutes for officers to place handcuffs on him as he continued to resist, while roaring and shouting throughout.

At various points during the restraint, Mr Lawless was heard saying gardaí were hurting him and asking them to stop. On one occasion he called out: "I can't breathe. Help me." At 4.24am he fell silent and became unresponsive. The inquest heard it was another two minutes before he was moved out of the prone position.

Garda evidence: minimal pressure, no handcuffing training

Garda Peter Gallagher told the inquest he had used pepper spray on Mr Lawless after he threw the garden bench, which caused Mr Lawless to drop to his knees before officers placed him on his stomach. Garda Gallagher said he had applied as little pressure as possible on Mr Lawless's shoulder blade and never directly on his back. He told coroner Myra Cullinane that gardaí had spent approximately 30 minutes unsuccessfully attempting to get Mr Lawless into an ambulance before deciding to detain him under the Mental Health Act.

When asked by the coroner, Garda Gallagher said he had received no training on how to handcuff a person who was actively resisting restraint. He stated he was aware of positional asphyxia — a condition in which a person's body position prevents adequate breathing — and had considered it during the incident, noting that Mr Lawless had continued shouting throughout. He also admitted, however, that he believed Mr Lawless might be "deteriorating" before the man became unresponsive.

A second officer, Garda Aoife Treanor, said Mr Lawless had not gone to the ground voluntarily. She told the inquest she had received no training on the effects of drugs on individuals or on when to remove handcuffs. She further acknowledged she had been unaware of what positional asphyxia was at the time of the incident.

Counsel for the Lawless family, Andrew Walker SC, said the deceased had been "ticking every box" for positional asphyxia.

Witnesses: no concerns raised on the night

An off-duty firefighter, Seán O'Hare, who assisted gardaí at the scene, stated in a written submission that he observed nothing in the gardaí's actions that caused him concern. Paramedic Paul Lundy, who was present and observing the restraint, said he was "well impressed" with how officers had handled the situation and had no concerns about Mr Lawless at that point.

Family accounts

Mr Lawless's brother, Darren, told the inquest he had been called to his mother's home because Ronan was behaving unusually. When Darren first arrived, Ronan appeared normal and denied having taken drugs. Darren had returned home for approximately ten minutes when his mother called him back; he could hear Ronan screaming in the background. He described his brother breaking free from attempts to place him in an ambulance and running through neighbouring gardens while shouting.

Darren Lawless said the gardaí had been "very affable," with the first officers to arrive "very professional and not aggressive," while describing the subsequent arrival of additional units and ambulances as being "like a movie." He said he was later informed his brother had suffered a cardiac arrest and was being taken to Beaumont Hospital.

Phyliss Lawless told the inquest that her son became agitated and upset in the early hours of 16 November 2022, appearing paranoid and convinced someone was outside the house. She had called gardaí after Darren left and Ronan began shouting and attempting to climb out a window. She recalled her son gasping for air and his chest heaving before he ran outside. Ms Lawless said the gardaí had "definitely not been aggressive" with her son. In response to questions from the coroner, she confirmed Ronan had no background of mental health issues, though there had been one similar episode earlier that year in June.

No criminal or disciplinary proceedings

The inquest heard that a subsequent investigation by Fiosrú, the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission, resulted in no criminal or disciplinary proceedings against any of the gardaí involved in the incident.

The jury of seven men and three women returned its verdict alongside the recommendations on restraint training.

Source: RTÉ News