A YOUNG schoolboy suffered fatal head injuries after falling through the Perspex roof of the smoking area of a pub, an inquest has heard.
Calvin Curley-Gray, 11, from Beechmount Drive, Cox’s Demesne, Dundalk, Co Louth was pronounced dead at Children’s Health Ireland at Temple Street in Dublin on September 19, 2022.
The young boy – a 6th class pupil at Redeemer Boys’ National School in Dundalk and the second eldest of four children – had been brought to the hospital by air ambulance 15 days earlier after the incident at Uisce Beatha pub on Clanbrassil Street, Dundalk.
A sitting of Dublin District Coroner’s Court on Monday heard Calvin died of traumatic brain injury due to a fall from a height onto a concrete floor.
In a written statement provided to a specialist Garda interviewer, another young boy described how a group of friends had taken a bus into the centre of Dundalk earlier that afternoon.
The inquest heard some of the boys had bought an out-of-date orange drink from a shop, which they threw back into the premises.
The boy said the group then went through a rusty gate and climbed up metal steps onto a roof but he went back down because he did not feel it was safe.
He next heard a bang and thought something had broken before another friend told him that he had seen Calvin fall through a roof.
The boy recalled how the group went into the pub and found their friend lying on his back on the ground in the smoking area with his eyes closed.
The boy said Calvin’s face was “chalk white”, while his clothes were soaking wet.
In a separate written statement, another friend said they were going “from roof to roof” when the deceased jumped from a wall onto a plastic sheet and “went through it” feet first.
He estimated that they had been playing in the area for about 10 minutes before the incident.
‘TOTAL SHOCK’
A customer in the pub at the time, Gerard Agnew, gave evidence of finding a boy lying on the floor of the smoking area when he went out for a cigarette between 4pm and 4.30pm.
Mr Agnew said he initially thought it was a joke, as it looked like the boy might be play-acting, before noticing a small hole in the roof.
He told the coroner, Crona Gallagher, that he was in “total shock.”
The owner of Uisce Beatha, Adrianne Callan, told the hearing that a customer had come in screaming her name about a small child falling on the ground.
OWNER’S EVIDENCE
Ms Callan said she tried to help the boy before calling the emergency services.
She gave evidence that the smoking area was already part of the pub when she bought the premises about nine years ago.
In reply to questions from the coroner, Ms Callan said she did not know who installed the roof but said there had been no previous issue with anyone being on it.
Cross-examined by counsel for the deceased’s family, Alana McArdle BL, Ms Callan said she believed she had arranged for a black plastic sheet to be placed over the Perspex roof but did not know why.
UNAWARE OF STEPS
The inquest heard two other adjoining businesses also had access to the smoking area for their bins.
However, Ms Callan said she was unaware of the metal steps used to climb onto the roof of the smoking area.
In reply to questions from her own barrister, Michael Murray BL, Ms Callan said the rusty gate entrance used to access the roof was “a fair bit of a distance” away from her pub.
Sergeant Donna Boyd gave evidence that the gate was about 150 metres away from the premises but she was uncertain if it was the only access point for the roof.
CCTV NOT RECORDING
The inquest heard a CCTV camera system in the pub was not recording as its hard drive had been removed in relation to some previous incident.
Sgt Boyd said another CCTV camera captured images of a group of boys looking down an alleyway in a manner in which you “knew something was wrong”.
She believed what happened was the result of a group of friends “just adventuring”.
The inquest heard it was uncertain if someone would be able to see that there was a Perspex roof beneath the black plastic sheet.
NO FILE SENT TO DPP
Sgt Boyd confirmed that no file had been sent to the DPP in relation to the incident.
She noted that the emergency services were alerted at 4.41pm after Ms McArdle said the deceased’s family were concerned about the delay in calling paramedics.
The barrister said the family were also concerned that the friends might have been chased by a shop owner.
However, Sgt Boyd said she did not know why the gardai had not taken statements from individuals in relation to that.
BARRIER NOW FITTED
The inquest heard a barrier has now been fitted to the metal stairs used to access the Perspex roof.
Recording a verdict of accidental death, Dr Gallagher offered her condolences to Calvin’s relatives and friends on such a tragic death and noted that they had generously donated his organs to help others.
She observed: “Children just don’t appreciate danger in the same way as adults do.”
Dr Gallagher said they did not know why Calvin had gone where he did but it was probably out of “a sense of adventure”.
QUESTIONS LEFT UNANSWERED
Speaking after the hearing, Calvin’s sister, Sophie Curley-Gray, said there were still a number of questions about her brother’s death that had been left unanswered.
Ms Curley-Gray thanked gardai for their assistance but said they believed they could have “done a better job” as they had never heard from some of her brother’s friends or their parents about what they had seen or heard.
The inquest heard that the parents of some boys with Calvin had not allowed their children to be interviewed by gardai.
Ms Curley-Gray said her mother was coming home from hospital with her newborn baby, Cruz, “when all this happened”.
‘UNREAL BOXER & FOOTBALLER’
She remarked that her mother felt she had lost one child to gain another.
According to her, Calvin was meant to go with them to the hospital but he wanted to go into town with his friends.
Ms Curley-Gray, 18, who has represented Ireland in boxing, said her younger brother was loved by his family and had a bright future ahead of him.
She said: “He was an unreal boxer and footballer.”
Other relatives recalled how he had a cheeky sense of humour and was “a wee monkey” who was known by everyone in his local community.