Charges against a man believed to have stored his deceased father in a household freezer have led to his detention. The accused individual, 55-year-old John Garrett O’Sullivan, stood before a Derry Magistrates’ Court judge on Monday, charged with inhibiting the legitimate burial of his 86-year-old father, Noel O’Sullivan.
The court received evidence that the retiree’s body was discovered in the family living room on Culmore Road in Derry, wrapped within plastic covering and a duvet. The father’s head was situated within an open fridge freezer whilst the rest of his body was on the ground adjacent to another open freezer door. Due to worries about John’s mental well-being, Deputy district judge Philip Mateer decided to retain him in custody. Unemployed John, who holds a doctorate in electrical engineering, made his court appearance via video link from a police detention center.
John O’Sullivan, a resident of the family house on Culmore Road, occupied alongside his father, but occasionally lived in the garage. He briefly addressed the court at the start of the proceedings, confirming his birth date and understanding of the allegation made against him. The charges against him allege he sought to hinder the lawful and respectful burial of his father occurring between the 1st and 17th of July.
According to a detective constable briefing the court on the case specifics, police were alerted by one of Noel O’Sullivan’s daughters the previous Wednesday. She expressed her anxiety about not being able to reach her father or access their house. John was taken into custody that day while strolling towards his house along Culmore Road. He was first apprehended on murder suspicions, but re-arrested later for obstructing a legal burial. The court was informed that the autopsy report on Noel O’Sullivan was “inconclusive”.
The court learnt that the daughter who notified the police resides in Brussels and last communication with her father happened on July 1st. Difficulties in gaining entry to the house on previous occasions were reported and police were informed about worries for her father’s welfare. In connection with the living conditions and Noel O’Sullivan’s self-care capabilities, police subsequently submitted protective referrals to social services. The court was notified of the late Noel’s wife, suffering from dementia, living in a care home.
In his report to the magistrate, the sergeant said that a visit was made to the residence by social services pertaining to Mrs O’Sullivan on 10th July, but they failed to gain access. Detailing the narrative from John O’Sullivan, the plainclothes detective said that Mr O’Sullivan, in the wee hours of 7th July, discovered his father inebriated and engaging in loud, unjustified outbursts in their living room. He reported that his father was occasionally struggling to breathe, but also being ill-mannered towards him.
Feeling the hostility directed at him, John O’Sullivan exited the room and retired for the night. He said that when he checked back in the latter part of the next day, he found his father lifeless.
Explaining the aftermath of his father’s demise, he said that he chose not to notify the authorities due to it being a bank holiday weekend. He revealed that he looked up the procedures for dealing with unexpected death and accordingly, decided to store his father’s body in a cold place, an approach also used by Altnagelivn, a hospital in Derry. He saw no necessity to contact a physician, since his father had passed away, and he also chose not to inform anyone else.
The legal proxy went on to share that John O’Sullivan later revealed to a nurse in police detention, that his father passed away on the 8th of July after an episode of collapse.
However, granting bail was objected by the officer, justifying it by stating that the defendant had no appropriate place to stay and there’s a chance that he might abscond to County Donegal.
Upon arrest, the defence solicitor voiced his concerns over his client’s placement in jail instead of a hospital. He also recognised the lack of a proper address for bail but suggested that if this could be resolved and agreed upon with the police, the magistrate should reckon releasing him from detention.
The magistrate described the case as “heartrending for the family” and “a complex one for the court to adjudicate”. John O’Sullivan was then kept in detention, scheduled for another appearance in the same court via video conference, on the 15th of August. – PA.