Metal Fragment Discovered in Damien Heagney’s Skull

A pathologist who performed the post-mortem examination on Damien Heagney’s remains informed a court that a “definitive cause of death” could not be established. Mr. Heagney, 47 years old, had his remains retrieved from a reservoir located in Cappagh, County Tyrone, on August 10, 2022. Stephen McCourt, 41, residing at Riverview in Augher, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Mr. Heagney, alleged to have occurred between December 29, 2021, and January 7, 2022. Dr. James Lynas, testifying before the court, stated that he “couldn’t give a definitive cause of death” but instead offered “a prescriptive cause of death which was unascertained, due to dismemberment and decomposition.” The Belfast Crown Court was informed that Dr. James Lynas carried out the post-mortem examination on August 11, 2022, at the forensic mortuary in Belfast. The pathologist detailed that, at the commencement of the examination, two packages containing human remains were passed through a CT scanner. He indicated that the initial package, or exhibit, contained an “adult size human skull with three of the bones from the upper part of the neck still attached to it.” He further noted that both the left and right arms were present within this identical exhibit. The court was informed that the second exhibit held “left and right lower limbs, left and right legs,” which were “completely separate from the body.” The pathologist stated that, during an inspection of the head, several “defects or slit like defects within the skin, in proximity to the left ear,” were observed, which “looked very much like stab wounds.” He additionally noted, “Further slits and defects were then identified on the back of the head and again these were consistent with stab wounds.” Under cross-examination by a prosecution lawyer, Dr. Lynas informed the court of “multiple defects within the outer surface of the skull,” and that “in one of them there was a residual piece of metal.” He described, “The piece of metal was triangular shaped, silver in colour and certainly was potentially consistent with the tip of a blade from a knife, having sheared or broken off and embedded within the skull.” He testified to the court that “none of the defects or indeed the blade tip …passed through the full thickness of the skull.” He further stated: “So therefore if these wounds had occurred during life they may have bled, but would not have immediately proved life threatening.” Dr. Lynas also mentioned that “there were some defects within the skin of the left armpit, the left elbow and little finger side of the left forearm and these were suggestive of additional stab wounds.” Nevertheless, he noted that he could not rule out the chance that these occurred post-mortem. The pathologist expressed his view that Mr. Heagney’s body underwent “dismemberment” subsequent to his death. He concurred with a prosecution lawyer that it was “more likely” his demise resulted from “some unnatural event.” When questioned by a defence lawyer, Dr. Lynas acknowledged that the post-mortem examination did not allow for the determination of Mr. Heagney’s date of death. The pathologist further agreed that the cause of death might potentially have been trauma to a body part that was neither retrieved nor accessible for scrutiny. Asked if “it wasn’t possible from a forensic pathology point of view to say when Mr Heagney’s body was placed in the reservoir,” Dr. Lynas affirmed, responding “yes.” He also conceded that establishing the timing of the body’s dismemberment was not feasible. The pathologist additionally concurred with the defence lawyer’s statement “that it was entirely possible these body parts…..were placed in the water at a point in time after January 2022.” Dr. Lynas informed the court that the “process of decomposition is highly variable and is affected by a number of factors.” He elaborated: “Mainly the temperature of the water, the flow of the water, the animals or the aquatic life that may be present in the water – all of these things can affect it and therefore a pathologist cannot give any accurate timing as to how long a body or body parts have been in the water.” The proceedings are ongoing.