Death By Misadventure Verdict For Homeless Pair Found In Canal

Dublin Coroners Court has returned a verdict of death by misadventure for a homeless couple who were found drowned in the Grand Canal in Dublin.

The court heard how the pair had been injecting cocaine and were with another man on the morning they were last seen.

Det Garda Colm Reynolds said conditions at the time in December were very bad, rendering the canal bank dangerous.

Gardaí believe the couple were the victims of a tragic accident, he said.

Wendy Atkinson (30), a mother of one, originally from Tallaght, and Robert Sneddon (29), from Whitehall, were found dead in the water at the Luas bridge over the Grand Canal at the Suir Road on December 18th, 2010.

Dublin Coroner’s Court heard that the couple, who had been staying at the Clancy night shelter on Blessington Street, went to the bridge with another hostel resident, Anthony Quinn, at about 11am on December 16th.

Mr Quinn submitted a written statement to the court.

he said they bought €200 worth of cocaine before going to the bridge and climbing down to the bank. All three then started injecting the drug, he said.

When Ms Atkinson had taken her fourth hit, she started to go “wobbly”, so he held her by the shoulders to keep her steady, he said.

“As I was holding Wendy, Robert came up behind me and gave me three digs. He hit me three times in the head,” he said. “I didn’t hit him back. I didn’t defend myself. I just legged it.”

He left his jacket and wallet when he ran, he said.

CCTV footage retrieved by gardaí showed Mr Quinn at a nearby Luas stop at about 12.50pm. He told gardaí he then went to the Ana Liffey Drug Project on Abbey Street, where he told staff about the scuffle and he was given a replacement coat. He later signed back into the hostel at Blessington Street and he did not see the couple again, he said.

The bodies were discovered two days later when a passerby noticed a wallet on the embankment and went to investigate. He saw Mr Sneddon’s jacket floating in the water with the body partially submerged. It was not until gardaí arrived that Ms Atkinson’s body was discovered.

(H)