A 27-year-old Lithuanian man found with head injuries on the street on Christmas Day in 2016 died three days later in hospital, an inquest has heard.
The man was living in Waterford city at the time and died as a result of lack of oxygen to the brain because of cardiac arrest following head trauma.
The inquest at Waterford Coroner's Court today heard that Agnius Naumovas suffered injuries which were consistent with being punched in the head, and possibly stamped, on 25 December 2016.
Nobody was ever charged in relation to his death.
Mr Naumovas had lived in Waterford for about three years and was working in the area.
His brother Dainius, who has since moved back to Lithuania, was living here for about nine years at the time of Agnius’s death and told gardaí afterwards that Agnius called to his house with a present and a bottle of rum at about 8am on Christmas morning, 2016.
They drank the bottle between them and later fell asleep.
That evening, Agnius left Dainius’s house after Dainius had told him "as a joke" that he had received the same present from their friend, who had also called to the house.
"I went after him and shouted that it was a joke and not to go. He kept walking."
Later, Dainius left his house on Short Course in Waterford and headed towards Agnius’s house on Francis Street, with 24 cans of lager they bought that afternoon from another man.
As Dainius approached the house on Francis Street, he saw somebody lying on the ground and realised it was his brother.
He brought the beer to the house, and told his brother’s partner and her friend who were there, that he needed help to get Agnius off the street and inside.
He then saw that Agnius’s eye was swollen and there was blood on his nose, and bruising.
The three of them brought him into the house and put him on the floor, before Dainius performed CPR while they waited for an ambulance. They hailed down a Garda car which was passing along the street and the gardaí came in and took over the CPR.
Agnius's partner, Ugne Kveriaviute, in a deposition to gardaí read out at the inquest, said Agnius left the house on Francis Street on Christmas morning to go to his brother’s house.
The two of them returned after about two hours and they "had been drinking, but were not drunk," before leaving again. When Dainius came back at about 8pm he told her that Agnius was on the street and she screamed when she saw the bleeding.
His lips were a little blue and his eye was swollen.
Garda Mark Kelly gave evidence of getting to the house at about 8.40pm and seeing Agnius lying on the ground next to a couch, unresponsive and a pale, blue-ish colour. His brother Dainius was "agitated and upset".
The inquest heard that Agnius died in the intensive care unit at University Hospital Waterford on 28 December 2016.
The then-state pathologist, Professor Marie Cassidy, carried out a post-mortem and her conclusions were read to the court today by pathologist Dr Fergus McSweeney.
Agnius Naumovas had suffered cerebral hypoxia, or lack of oxygen to the brain, as a result of a cardiac arrest "which followed an assault during which he received severe injuries," the report stated. "There was evidence of multiple impacts to his face and scalp."
Some of the injuries could have been the result of blows or punches or by an impact with the ground, the inquest heard, and there was a "pattern" type injury to the face which was suggestive of stamping.
Alcohol intoxication could also have been a contributory factor, the report said.
The inquest jury returned a verdict in line with the medical evidence.
There were no family members or friends of the deceased in court for the inquest, which heard that they had since returned to live Lithuania.
