An inquest has found that the death of Fr Paddy O’Kane in Derry’s Waterside Hospital four years ago was ‘preventable’.
Fr O’Kane, a native of Culdaff in Inishowen, was found hanging in the garden at the hospital. The inquest into his death was held in October 2024 and March 2025.
The findings, delivered today by Coroner Maria Dugan looked at all the circumstances of the popular priest’s death.
She found that Fr O’Kane suffered from a ‘recurrent depressive disorder’ and had received treatment for it over the years.
On March 28 2022 Fr O’Kane was subject to hourly checks which the inquest found to have been appropriate given the level of risk. It was during one of these hourly checks that a staff member went looking for the priest and found him hanging in the garden. One of the main issues looked at in the inquiry was the presence in the garden of blue rope, which was used by the priest.
The inquest heard that following Fr O’Kane’s death measures had been implemented to prevent a reoccurrence including the installation of CCTV within the grounds of the hospital.
In conclusion the Coroner said those in religious life can often be ‘quietly experiencing their own difficulties’ and said such individuals should be provided with ‘appropriate understanding, pastoral care and timely professional support’.
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More detailed report –
An inquest has found that the death of Fr Paddy O’Kane on March f28 2022 in the Waterside Hospital was ‘preventable’
Fr O’Kane was found hanging in the garden at the hospital and the inquest into his death was held in October 2024 and March 2025.
The findings delivered today by Coroner Maria Dugan looked at all the circumstances of the popular priest’s death.
It found that the priest suffered from a ‘recurrent depressive disorder’ and had received treatment for it over the years.
On March 28 2022 Fr O’Kane was subject to hourly checks which the inquest found to have been appropriate given the level of risk. It was during one of these hourly checks that a staff member went looking for the priest and found him hanging in the garden.
One of the main issues looked at in the inquiry was the presence in the garden of blue rope which was used by the priest.
The Coroner criticised ‘ the absence of a comprehensive ligature assessment’ and the failure to remove or mitigate for identifiable risks created the circumstances in which the priest was able to act.
It was concluded that there had been a ‘series of failures’ in the assessment and management of the risks of ligatures and also ‘missed opportunities’ in Fr O’Kane’s treatment that contributed to his death.
The Coroner was critical of the lack of ‘understanding amongst staff regarding ligature and environmental risks’.
She said that this absence led to the presence in the garden of ligature materials including the blue rope that had been used to secure wood.
The inquest heard that following the death measures had been implemented to prevent a reoccurrence including the installation of CCTV within the grounds of Waterside Hospital.
In conclusion the Coroner said Fr O’Kane was a man of ‘warmth, humour and considerable talent’ who had an ‘enduring impact’ on those who knew him.
The inquest said that those in religious life can often be ‘quietly experiencing their own difficulties’ and said such individuals should be provided with ‘appropriate understanding, pastoral care and timely professional support’.
