AN INQUEST has heard that a man who was found hanging in his prison cell had deliberately harmed himself on his way to court two days earlier and had been placed in a close supervision cell, but was removed from that cell the following day.
Nicolae Sobchenco (37), Leixlip, Co Kildare, was found hanging in his cell at Cloverhill Prison just before 3am on May 27th, 2009.
The jury heard a claim yesterday by the dead man’s widow that she believed somebody else was involved in his death.
The jury of seven women and three men recorded a verdict of death by suicide at the Dublin County Coroner’s Court. It recommended that if somebody self-harmed, they should have a longer period of supervision.
It also requested the prison authorities to re-evaluate the response time of prison officers in such situations and the issue of alerting staff doing rounds.
Dublin County Coroner’s Court heard that Mr Sobchenco, a Moldovan national, had deliberately harmed himself using handcuffs while he was being transported for an appearance at the Central Criminal Court on May 25th.
Upon arrival at the courts, prison officer Pamela Fitzpatrick, who had travelled in the rear of the vehicle with the prisoners who were handcuffed in individual cells, noticed that Mr Sobchenco’s hands “were covered in blood”.
Mr Sobchenco was immediately returned to Cloverhill Prison where he was seen by a doctor. The doctor asked the Moldovan man to be placed in a close supervision cell for special observation.
Dr Mohsin Moola referred Mr Sobchenco, who told him he had struck himself with handcuffs, for psychiatric evaluation.
The doctor noted abrasions to Mr Sobchenco’s forehead and to his hands and wrists and prescribed anti-inflammatory medication.
Community mental health nurse Martin Caddow saw Mr Sobchenco on May 25th and said his impression was that Mr Sobchenco was suffering from acute stress reaction.
The following day, on May 26th, Mr Caddow said Mr Sobchenco was more forthcoming and described himself as feeling calm and said his mood was okay.
He described feeling remorseful and guilty about his alleged offence.
“He mentioned he didn’t realise there were children in the car when he shot the man,” said Mr Caddow. “He said he felt bad about this and felt stressed out yesterday and stated he had lost control of his emotions.”
Mr Sobchenco was charged with the attempted murder of a former friend following a shooting incident at the Garda sports club in Westmanstown on February 22nd, 2009.
He was hopeful for the future and denied any thoughts or plans to harm himself or others, said Mr Caddow, who cleared him for return to a normal landing, which Mr Sobchenco had requested.
The nurse said his impression was Mr Sobchenco’s stress reaction appeared to be resolving.
“He gave me no cause for concern,” he said.
The alarm was raised at 2.55am on the morning of May 27th by prisoner Mahoi Ionut Martinas, who woke up to find Mr Sobchenco “hanging there.”
The inquest heard Mr Sobchenco’s cell, number 10 on the B2 landing, had last been checked by prison officer John Ryan at 1.30am and everything was in order, Mr Ryan told the inquest.
Mr Ryan was due to check Mr Sobchenco’s cell again at 2.30am, but he did not do it as the alarm on his watch did not go off, something which he said could only be described as “human error”.
Mr Ryan responded to a call to the cell at 2.55am and raised the alarm when he saw Mr Sobchenco with a cord around his neck.
Earlier, Mr Sobchenco’s wife Ludmila Soboleva told coroner Dr Kieran Geraghty that she believed her husband’s death was a revenge killing in relation to an incident on February 22nd, 2009.
She said in a statement read in court that she believed somebody else was involved in her husband’s death.
“I do not believe my husband did that,” she said [in reference to the hanging incident].
The couple had four daughters.
The inquest heard that since the incident, there is a “step down” procedure where somebody who is removed from a close supervision cell is transferred to a “vulnerable” cell for 24 hours.
A tearful Ms Soboleva did not want to comment after the inquest.