Police Ombudsman investigates Longford incident that left man in critical condition

The office of the Police Ombudsman - which deals with complaints and incidents involving members of the Gardaí -  confirmed to the  Longford Leader they are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the discovery of a 64-year-old man with life threatening injuries in Drumlish early last month. 

The man - who was said to have been semi-conscious while initially being treated by paramedics in the ambulance - was brought to Mullingar General Hospital where he was immediately placed in ICU after his condition rapidly deteriorated. 

It is known that for a number of days the man was fighting for his life.

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The man is believed to have sustained the injuries sometime between the night of Friday, November 7, and the early hours of Saturday,  November  8. 

When the man was discovered with injuries on November 8, emergency services were called to the scene in Drumlish. 

Less than two days later, on Monday, November 10, Longford Gardaí referred the matter to Fiosrú - the name given to the office of the Police Ombudsman, which replaced GSOC in April of this year.

The referral to the Police Ombudsman is believed to have been made by Superintendent Michael Dorrigan and was in relation to section 203(1) of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act, 2024. 

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Once the referral was received, Fiosrú’s on-call team of investigators travelled to Drumlish to attend the scene of the incident, which is said to have occurred in the area of Currabawn.

The injured man - who remains in intensive care but not in ICU - is now said to be in recovery mode but still “a long long way from being fully back to himself.”

His medical team are optimistic he will eventually make a full recovery, but they do not expect him to be released from hospital within the next three months.

Despite being on the path to recovery, the man - a former butcher who was described as being a very popular and well-liked individual - is said to be “nowhere near able” to speak with Gardaí about what happened to him in Drumlish. 

It is still not known exactly how the man sustained the injuries however Gardaí are investigating the possibility that he may have  been assaulted. 

Gardaí are also waiting to speak with a “person of interest” about the circumstances that led up to the victim being in a critical condition. 

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The person of interest however is himself, since last month, believed to be in a hospital environment - in a voluntary capacity - and is therefore unavailable for Garda questioning.   

It has been confirmed that the 'person of interest' is not a member of the Gardaí.

The Police Ombudsman is understood to have since appointed a designated officer to oversee the matter. 

As an active investigation by their office is now underway however, Fiosrú declined to make any further comment. 

Speaking recently, Senator Paraic Brady said the community of Drumlish was delighted to see the popular butcher making a recovery. “We wish him well and we wish his immediate family well. We’re all hoping he gets back to full health sooner rather than later” the senator said.

Also read: 'Investigation ongoing': Longford gardaí waiting to question man in relation to Drumlish incident

Gardaí are continuing in their appeal to anyone with information to contact Longford Garda Station on 043-3350570 or the Garda Confidential line on 1800 666 111.