Coroner slams police over 'dead body' search
POLICE failed to locate the body of a drunk man who died in a fire which swept through a disused school in north Belfast, an inquest has heard.
It was not until 12 hours later that a couple accidentally stumbled on Stephen Gallagher, 39, lying on the ground amid the remains of the blackened building of the Deaf and Blind School in Jordanstown.
Officers had been told about a man the previous day by children but called off their search because of darkness and dangers accessing the property, Belfast Coroner's Court was told.
Coroner John Leckey told the Belfast inquest: "It is quite dreadful to think that the person may have been alive and left to lie where he was overnight."
Eight-year-old children found the unemployed butcher on September 1 last year at the derelict school and parents reported it to police. A helicopter was used as part of the search, but officers failed to locate the body.
Mr Gallagher, from Greymount Parade, Belfast, had called the emergency services a few days earlier on his mobile phone but was unable to tell them where he was.
Mr Leckey added: "I think this is so serious that the Chief Constable (Matt Baggott) should be aware of it and it is certainly a matter I intend to refer to the Police Ombudsman (Al Hutchinson).
"It beggars belief that the police officers concerned did not have the wit to speak to the children concerned."
Constable Jonathon Mallon, who eventually found the body, said "the search was called off due to the fact that it was getting a bit dangerous at night to go through the property because of all the waste and dereliction in place".
Mr Leckey pointed out that Sarah Cummins and her boyfriend had no difficulty locating the body when they stumbled across it the next day.
"If children found the body surely police would want to speak to the children," the coroner added.
Constable Mallon said the children were upset by what they had seen and their parents did not want them to talk to police.
Mr Leckey said: "It is important if there is a report of a dead body that it is thoroughly investigated."
Constable Mallon said Mr Gallagher's face was blackened by the smoke and there were black marks across the room as well as debris from the fire. A window had been smashed and there appeared to be blood on it. No criminality was involved in the death.
Checks of his mobile phone record that Mr Gallagher called the emergency services on August 28 last year, the day he was last seen alive.
Constable Mallon listened to the call log.
“He was quite drunk and hard to make out, he was crying a lot, he did mention at some stage it had started again, by that I think the fire,” the officer said.
He said “Jordanstown Deaf and Blind” but the operator did not hear him or contact police.
Mr Gallagher’s sister Caroline McLernon said: “The children were only eight but had any children of mine come home and described something like that I would have expected the police to come and speak to the children if they could not find the body.”
The coroner ruled that Mr Gallagher was poisoned from smoke inhalation while severely intoxicated.
Police said it was inappropriate to comment further because of the possible Ombudsman investigation.
However, police sources said they received the initial report on September 1 from a member of the public whom the children had approached and told about the body. The children did not remain in the area.
Police sources said: “The member of the public did not know the children and could not provide any information which would have assisted police in identifying them.
“Further details about the location of the body in the area were not made available to police.”
They said a search of the area was carried out but limited by darkness.
A further investigation was arranged for the following morning in daylight.
Further information was then received the following morning that a body had been discovered by a couple within one of the buildings.
The parents of the children who initially discovered the man later made themselves known to officers.
Police believe he died on August 28, 2009.
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Tuesday 14 February 2012
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