Chef found dead two days after altercation with security at Dublin bar, inquest hears

Seán McCárthaigh

A narrative verdict has been returned on the death of a hotel chef who was found dead at home two days after he was involved in an altercation with security staff outside a bar in Dublin city centre.

James Kailedzi, 31, who came originally from Malawi, was pronounced dead at his apartment on Hatch Street, Dublin 2, on March 25th, 2023 where he was discovered by friends concerned about his welfare.

A postmortem showed he died as a result of a “traumatic blunt force head injury.”

The inquest heard evidence that Mr Kailedzi had gone to the Pygmalion bar on the corner of Coppinger Row and William Street South, Dublin 2 on March 23rd, 2023 with two friends, one of whom, Arthur Bradford, was denied entry to the premises.

Mr Bradford said he and the deceased were subsequently followed by security staff who grabbed Mr Kailedzi.

The inquest heard there appeared to be some physical contact which resulted in Mr Kailedzi falling to the ground.

Mr Bradford recounted how Mr Kailedzi was unconscious for a short period but walked home alone after he regained consciousness.

The witness said his friend seemed “a bit drowsy” at the time but believed his appearance was due to alcohol.

He told coroner Aisling Gannon that he had unsuccessfully tried calling Mr Kailedzi several times the following day and subsequently called to his friend’s apartment on March 25th, 2023 with some others, where they discovered Mr Kailedzi deceased on his bed.

Another witness, Reo Odirile, gave evidence that both the deceased and Mr Bradford had been “quite aggressive” before seeing security staff from the Pygmalion “pushing” them towards South William Street.

Mr Odirile said he observed Mr Kailedzi “swinging” at a security staff member, Leonardo Santos, at one point before next noticing the deceased on the ground.

He said he did not see how Mr Kailedzi fell to the ground, but did recall that he was “wobbly” after getting up.

Mr Odirile said he believed the security staff had overreacted to the situation.

In a written statement, another eyewitness, Seán Richardson, said he had seen Mr Kailedzi falling “like somebody who got knocked out at the UFC” after he was pushed by Mr Santos in retaliation for his own push.

Mr Richardson said the deceased had hit his head on a pole as he fell.

A former security guard at Pygmalion, Gabriel Manfrim, said he had refused Mr Bradford entry to the bar as he had been barred from the premises, while he had also been threatened by him when he worked at another venue.

The witness said he had asked Mr Kailedzi to leave the bar after a group of girls had complained about his conduct.

He recalled that the two men started arguing with the pub’s security staff when they were asked to move away after they had been arguing with a group of females sitting outside the bar.

Mr Manfrim said he was dealing with Mr Bradford, while his colleague, Leonardo Santos, was with the deceased.

He told the inquest that he saw Mr Kailedzi grabbing onto a pole and “making to go through” his colleague as well as swinging at Mr Santos with a whiskey glass.

Mr Manfrim said the other security guard had pushed back against Mr Kailedzi to protect himself.

He said Mr Kailedzi fell and stayed on the floor for several minutes.

Mr Manfrim said he called gardaí as he was afraid of Mr Bradford after he had threatened him: “I will kill you. I know where you live.”

The security guard stressed that no kicks or punches were thrown by security staff, and the only thing he saw was the push by his colleague

In evidence, Mr Santos corroborated what had happened and said Mr Bradford had stood outside the bar insulting security staff while the deceased was inside.

He said Mr Kailedzi was asked to leave Pygmalion when a group of girls complained he was “disrespecting” them.

Mr Santos said the two men were screaming and shouting at them as they tried to come back towards the bar a short time later.

He admitted pushing Mr Kailedzi once when he lost his balance and then a second time after the deceased came at him with a glass.

Mr Santos said Mr Kailedzi fell on the ground but later stood up and left, heading in the direction of St Stephen’s Green with Mr Bradford.

In reply to the questions from the coroner, Mr Santos said he had pushed the deceased with the same level of force on both occasions in self-defence.

Cross-examined by counsel for Mr Kailedzi’s family, William Dunne BL, who questioned if he had overreacted on the night. Mr Santos replied: “We were always calm.”

Detective Inspector Katherina Joyce said CCTV footage showed that security staff at the bar only escalated their interaction with the deceased and Mr Bradford following a complaint from a group of French tourists.

Det Insp Joyce said Mr Bradford had been persistently antagonistic and abusive to the two security guards at the door to Pygmalion for 50 minutes while Mr Kailedzi was inside in the bar.

She said the demeanour of both security guards during this period was “tolerant and patient.”

Det Insp Joyce described what happened as “a very tragic incident with the direst of consequences.”

She agreed with the coroner that the physical contact with the deceased was “minimal.”

Det Joyce noted that the right side of the deceased’s skull, where he suffered a head injury, was thinner than the other part.

The inquest heard that the DPP had directed that no prosecution should arise in relation to Mr Kailedzi’s death following a review of a Garda file on the case.

Det Joyce said an appeal against that decision by Mr Kailedzi’s family was not upheld.

She told Mr Dunne that the need for an ambulance has been raised by Garda command and control in a 999 call.

However, it was not proceeded with after being informed that the deceased had left the scene.

The coroner said she would record a narrative verdict to reflect the complexities of the facts of the case.

Ms Gannon said she would notify the owners and directors of Pygmalion about concerns of the response of staff to patrons, including non-customers in a crisis or emergency situation.

In response to a suggestion by Mr Dunne, the coroner said she would also ask the Private Security Authority to consider making first aid training a requirement for the issuing of licences for security staff.