Destitute FitzPatrick Starves To Death
Posted on | July 13, 2010
Seán ‘Seánie’ Fitz-’Fitzer’-Patrick (1948-2010)
Former chairman of Anglo Irish Bank Sean FitzPatrick has been declared dead from starvation.
At a press briefing outside Store Street Garda station, Detective Michael Sanford said that Mr FitzPatrick’s emaciated body was found in the doorway of the Powerscourt Centre in Dublin’s South William Street yesterday morning.
“Mr FitzPatrick’s corpse was discovered by security at 6:30 a.m. Monday morning. Initial examinations suggest he had been dead for approximately 36 hours,” Det. Sanford said.
“This has since been confirmed by the coroner’s office. Severe malnutrition has been identified as the chief cause of death, no doubt due to Mr FitzPatrick’s impoverished lifestyle over the last 12 months.”
Controversial banker Seán “Seánie” FitzPatrick was known to be living rough on the streets of Dublin since the spring of last year.
In December of 2008 he was forced to resign his position as chairman of Anglo Irish Bank when revelations of secret loans from the bank to Mr FitzPatrick were made public. The High Court had given him several months to repay the loans totalling €110m.
Having failed to do so Mr FitzPatrick had all his assets and possessions seized – including his home(s), car, clothing, furniture, bedding and work tools – in the name of the Irish taxpayer.
Once the poster boy for Ireland’s flamboyant ‘Celtic Tiger’ generation, Fitzpatrick was reduced to wandering the streets in little more than rags.
The 62-year old became a familiar sight begging around Grafton Street and St. Stephen’s Green, often sleeping in the doorways of upmarket department stores and other exclusive establishments, the likes of those he would regularly frequent during his glory days.
Wracked with guilt for his role in the collapse of Ireland’s banking sector, he would often beg forgiveness from anyone who stopped to give him their spare change.
Security guard Robert Coburn discovered Mr FitzPatrick’s body when opening the Powerscourt premises yesterday morning:
“I just thought it was another homeless person sleeping on the steps, y’know? It’s a common enough occurrence. I shouted at him ‘get up you scum, we don’t want you frightening off our customers with your smell’ and gave him a couple of boots in the back. That usually gets rid of them.
“But after kicking him for a few minutes without any response I knew there was something up. So I turned him over to see if a few slaps in the face would work…then I just froze in shock,” Mr Coburn said.
“I couldn’t believe who I was looking at. Seánie FitzPatrick! He was much more haggard and sick-looking but it was definitely him. Sure I remember when he used to shop here in Powerscourt with his missus. He used to give me €50 tips! Now look at him. Jaysis.”
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