A DETECTIVE sergeant has told an inquest into the death of a man in Garda custody that an element of force used in restraining him at the time of his arrest was “minimal” and “reasonable”.
Dwayne Foster (24), of Woodbank Avenue, Finglas, Dublin 11 was discovered unresponsive in Coolock Garda station on March 7th, 2006 and was pronounced dead at Beaumont Hospital some time later.
The 24-year-old was being questioned at the time in relation to the shooting of mother of one, Donna Cleary (22), who was fatally wounded at a party at Adare Green, Coolock on March 5th.
Det Sgt Cormac Brennan told an inquest at Dublin City Coroner’s Court yesterday that Mr Foster resisted restraint during an armed Garda search at Thornton Lodge, The Curragh, Co Kildare on March 5th.
Mr Foster was one of three suspects arrested on the night as part of a Garda investigation into the shooting of Ms Cleary.
“There was an element of force used . . . the force was minimal to overcome his [Mr Foster’s] resistance . . . the suspects were sec- ured safely and without incident within a short period of time,” said Det Sgt Brennan who disagreed with solicitor for the Foster family, Michael Finucane, that the operation was “aggressive”.
A postmortem by Deputy State Pathologist Dr Michael Curtis, which found Mr Foster died of methadone intoxication, detailed a large number of “minor” injuries on his body.