The Garda and the Irish Prison Service are working to introduce a protocol to formally document the committal of individuals to prison in response to a vulnerable woman’s attempted suicide at the Dóchas Centre five years ago, an inquest has been told.
Monika Nawrat (33), a mother of two originally from Zakopane in Poland, was discovered unresponsive in her cell in the Dóchas Centre in the Mountjoy Prison complex on October 4th, 2019. She died in the Mater Hospital 10 days later, having never regained consciousness.
A jury of five women and one man returned a verdict of death by suicide at a sitting of Dublin District Coroner’s Court on Wednesday.
On October 3rd, 2019, Ms Nawrat – who had a history of mental health difficulties, and had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia – appeared before Trim District Court on foot of a bench warrant to face public order charges.
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Ms Nawrat was granted bail by the court, but she was unable to pay a €100 bail surety, and therefore committed to custody. Awaiting transfer to the Dóchas Centre, Ms Nawrat self-harmed while in a holding cell at Trim District Court. With gardaí concerned for her wellbeing, she was taken to Mullingar Regional Hospital by ambulance, before later being discharged and taken to the Dóchas Centre.
The court heard that there was “some conflict” regarding a purported comment made by Ms Nawrat on her initial committal to the Dóchas Centre, when she allegedly expressed “an intent to kill herself”. According to a report prepared by the Office of the Inspectorate of Prisons, a Garda witness claimed he heard Ms Nawrat stating she would “kill herself” while in the main lobby to the Dóchas Centre, but a prison officer witness stated he did not hear this.
Ray Murtagh, who was governor of the Dóchas Centre at the time of the incident, told the court that healthcare staff who assessed Ms Nawrat following her committal to the prison did not deem her at risk of self-harm. The court heard that Ms Nawrat denied to a prison nurse and doctor that she intended to harm herself or take her own life.
Mr Murtagh outlined how, following a review of Ms Nawrat’s case, he drafted a template document with a view to introducing a formal, written handover system that documents every prisoner committal. The document is currently being considered by An Garda Síochána’s legal department, he said.
Coroner Dr Myra Cullinane extended sympathies to the deceased’s family, including her son and ex-partner, who were present in court. She commented that the most poignant evidence heard in court was that Ms Nawrat “thought of her children at the very last moments of her life”, a reference to inscriptions she left on her cell wall.
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