Police Should Have Arrested Killer Before Elderly Couple's Deaths, Inquest Hears

A police constable said that on the day of the killings, he and his partner were tasked to search for a naked man in the vicinity of Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry, who later killed Michael and Marjorie Cawdery in their Portadown home on May 26, 2017.

McEntee is serving a minimum of 10 years in prison for their manslaughter.

The police constable said that he arrived at the scene as colleagues were restraining McEntee, who was naked, and that three female staff from the hospital's mental health department came to talk to him.

The inquest also heard that another police officer punched McEntee in order to restrain him.

The police constable said that he and his partner drove behind in their car and that when they got to Craigavon Hospital, they spoke to a paramedic.

McEntee was dressed by this stage, and the paramedic said they needed no further assistance.

A short time later, McEntee got up from the waiting area of Craigavon's emergency department and left the hospital grounds before ending up in the Cawderys' home.

The inquest also heard that police should have done more and invoked Article 130 to take McEntee to a place of safety.

A court heard that a man who died by hanging in a hospital was naked and had self-harmed before being transported to hospital by paramedics.

The paramedics spoke to mental health staff and the patient agreed to go to hospital.

Police officers walked with the patient to the rear of the ambulance, but it is unclear if they knew about his behavior.

The paramedics did not tell the police they could leave and said they would have expected them to stay with the patient in the emergency department.