GARDAÍ today (Tuesday) exhumed the 40-year-old remains of a Co Clare chef, whose family believe was murdered and his killing covered up.
The family of Patrick Nugent, Sixmilebridge, consented to the exhumation process as part of a fresh investigation into the death of the 23-year old in 1984.
The grim process of exhuming Mr Nugent’s remains began before dawn at Feenagh Cemetery, Sixmilebridge, located a short distance from the Nugent family home.
Members of the Nugent family were in attendance at what Gardaí described as a “sensitive operation, which was carried out expeditiously and respectfully”.
At a press briefing today at Shannon Garda Station, Detective Inspector David Finnerty, said that following the exhumation, “a formal state post mortem” would take place in respect of Mr Nugent’s remains and this would be conducted by Assistant State Pathologist Dr Heidi Okkers.
Despite a jury recording a verdict of “accidental death” at an inquest into Mr Nugent’s death in October 1985, the latest Garda investigation includes a full suite of Garda resources normally required in suspicious death probes.
Detective Inspector Finnerty said the new probe is being led by the Clare Garda Division, supported by the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Serious Crime Review Team, the Scenes of Crime Unit and the Garda Technical Unit.
Detective Insp Finnerty said the latest Garda probe into Mr Finnerty’s death was “utilising advances in modern day investigative techniques” which he said Gardaí “hoped will progress this investigation forty years later”.
This includes the assistance of a Garda Forensic Collision Investigator who has “re-examined” a car-park at the original scene, ‘The Barn’, Bunratty Castle, where Gardaí believe Mr Nugent was struck by a vehicle on the night he died.
Expert forensic anthropologist, Dr Laureen Buckley, is also assisting the current Garda probe, particularly in respect of the exhumation of Mr Nugent’s remains at Feenagh cemetery, Sixmilebridge.
Ms Buckley, a native of Armagh, has worked on numerous high profile investigations which helped secure the conviction of architect killer Graham Dwyer for the murder of childcare worker Elaine O’Hara in 2012, as well as the conviction of Gary McCrea who murdered his wife and other of four Dolores McCrea and burned her body in 2004.
The jury at Mr Nugent’s inquest in October 1985 attached a rider to their verdict of accidental death that they were “far from satisfied as to the circumstances under which Patrick Nugent sustained the injuries which caused his death”.
The jury also requested that the then Minister for Justice, “have the matter further investigated”.
Mr Nugent, (23), died February 11, 1984, after he was found critically injured, at Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, Co Clare.
The decision to exhume his remains arose after Detective Inspector Finnerty made a public appeal for information last January.
For the past four decades there has been intense speculation surrounding who is responsible for the popular and much-loved chef.
At the time, Mr Nugent was overseeing a wedding anniversary party held at the Bunratty Castle and Folk Park for the then head chef of Aer Rianta, at Shannon Airport, William Ryan, and his wife Chrissie.
In the early hours of that morning, as the party was winding down, it is alleged Mr Nugent was in the venue’s car park along with Mr Ryan.
As he lay dying on the ground around the reception area of the venue, Mr Nugent was reported to have repeated three times to a colleague, “…he clocked me, he clocked me, he clocked me” before he lost consciousness and later passed away at Barrington’s Hospital Limerick.
Mr Nugent was laid to rest before it emerged that his injuries may have been consistent with being struck by a vehicle.
William Ryan was later charged with manslaughter but was subsequently acquitted by a jury at his trial. No other person has been charged in connection with the death.
In 2014, the government established an Independent Review Mechanism (IRM), which recommended the circumstances of Mr Nugent’s death be further examined by a special inquiry under the Garda Siochana Act 2005.
This led to an inquiry being undertaken by retired district court judge Patrick Clyne, who reported to the Minister for Justice in 2020, which in turn led to the Garda Commissioner Drew Harris directing a fresh Garda investigation in 2022.
Detective Insp Finnerty said the Garda investigation team at Shannon Garda Station “are currently in the process of interviewing witnesses who attended the party”.
There were approximately 60 people at the function on the night.
In a fresh appeal today for information from the public, Det Insp Finnerty said: “I want to speak to any person who has any knowledge of the events that took place at The Barn, Bunratty Castle on the night of the 10th/11th February 1984.”
He said the Garda probe was “focussed on all those who attended the party on the night”.
He asked that people who had not yet spoken to Gardaí, or people who may have already passed on information to the original Garda investigation, make that available again to the current investigation team at Shannon Garda Station (061-365900) / the Garda Confidential Line 1800-666-111 / or any Garda.
“I am appealing to those persons, 40 years later, to please come forward and speak to us”.
Detective inspector Finnerty asked that people with information “not to assume we know and/or that it is of limited value — let us make that decision, I cannot reiterate that enough.”
Det Insp Finnerty said Patrick Nugent’s family “have had to live with that bereavement and uncertainty around the circumstances of Patrick’s death for the last 40 years” and that “they deserve to know, and to bring closure to what happened to Patrick”
Detective Inspector Finnerty said that for “operational reasons” he was not able to say if Gardaí had received fresh information about Mr Nugent’s death, nor would he be drawn on whether or not Gardaí had any concerns about the original Garda investigation into the death.
