Kildare Nationalist — Body of serial sex offender found in Dublin had to be identified by DNA, inquest hears

Sean McCarthy

The body of a serial sex offender from Donegal, discovered in a Dublin caravan and campsite park two years ago, had to be identified using DNA, an inquest heard.

A Dublin District Coroner's Court hearing into the death of Patrick Porter (46) of Grange, Inch Island, Burnfoot, Co Donegal, heard his badly decomposed body was found in a van at Camac Valley Caravan & Camping Park in Clondalkin, Dublin on July 27, 2022.

The coroner, Cróna Gallagher, was told that a DNA sample from the body matched a sample taken from the deceased's father, Reg Porter, at his home in Co Donegal.

Dr Gallagher noted that a visual identification of the body had not been possible due to its advanced state of decomposition at the time of its discovery.

However, the coroner said she was satisfied Reg Porter was the deceased's biological father following forensic analysis which matched their DNA samples.

Camac Valley site manager James Keogh told the inquest on Monday he noticed a bad smell on part of the site when he started work on the morning of July 27, 2022.

Mr Keogh, however, said he believed at the time the smell was coming from the bins, although he also noticed flies around a white van parked under a tree.

He remembers being approached shortly afterwards by French tourists who also complained of a bad smell in the area.

Mr Keogh said he asked them if they had seen anyone nearby or in the van but they had not.

The witness said he called the phone number associated with the vehicle several times while checking into the trailer park and felt something was wrong when he didn't did not get a response.

When he returned to the vehicle, Mr Keogh said a pile of rubbish fell onto the ground when he opened the back door before noticing the decomposing body of a man under a duvet.

In response to questions from the coroner, Mr Keogh said Mr Porter had stayed at Camac Valley on several occasions in his Volkswagen Caddy van which he had parked in a space on a communal lawn.

“He would usually be in and out for three or four days at a time,” Mr Keogh recalled.

He did not, however, know exactly when the deceased last checked in or when he was last seen by Camac Valley staff.

Garda Erica Fleming said a paramedic told her Mr Porter had likely been dead for several weeks by the time his body was discovered.

Garda Fleming said the deceased, who was lying fully clothed on a mattress under a duvet, was officially pronounced dead at 11.55am on July 27, 2022.

The investigation revealed that the Caddy van had been traced to the deceased's mother, Bridie Porter, who was the registered owner.

Although no direct reference was made to Mr Porter's criminal history, Guard Fleming said in response to the coroner's questions that he had interactions with the guards which were “not positive” .

She understood that the deceased, who was a welder by trade, also lived intermittently in County Donegal.

Guardsman Fleming said guards had not been able to establish when he was last seen alive and also noted he had “a somewhat distant relationship” with his family.

She confirmed that gardaí did not believe there was anything suspicious in connection with Mr Porter's death.

Garda Fleming noted that Garda records showed he had a history of drug use, alcoholism and mental health problems.

The investigation revealed that an autopsy revealed traces of heroin, cocaine and some prescription drugs in the deceased's body.

Dr. Gallagher noted that the cause of death was multiple drug intoxication, but noted that it had been impossible to determine the quantity of the different drugs present in his body.

The coroner said chronic liver disease and scarring of heart tissue detected during the autopsy of Mr Porter's body were also contributing factors.

Based on the evidence, Dr Gallagher said there was no evidence that the deceased had intended to harm himself, and she returned a verdict of death by misadventure.

Offering condolences to Mr Porter's family, who did not attend the inquest, the coroner said the death of a relatively young and isolated man was “very tragic”.

Porter, who has a string of convictions for lewd behavior and other sexual offenses dating back to 2011, had served prison sentences in the Republic and Northern Ireland.