HE WAS FEELING STRESSED BUT HIS BEHAVIOUR WAS

ALAN Hawe’s GP Paula McKevitt told the hearing that she last saw him in her surgery on June 21 last year, where his behaviour appeared ‘normal’.

Dr McKevitt told the inquest that Mr Hawe attended her surgery complaining about a sore toenail.

‘Mr Hawe presented and initially discussed a toenail abnormality,’ she told the inquest. He also told her he had ‘reported using bleach to clean his feet.’

Dr McKevitt said she examined his feet and prescribed an antifungal treatment.

She added that during the course of the consultation, Mr Hawe said he was feeling run down and had a sore throat and some mouth ulcers.

The father-of-three told her he was ‘feeling stressed about work and had not been sleeping.’

‘He was concerned about a conflict that had arisen with a colleague and he reported feeling isolated as a result,’ she said.

During the discussion, Mr Hawe said he was not seeking a sick note, and that he was preparing for the end of the school year.

‘There was a family holiday to Italy coming up and he was looking forward to it,’ she said.

Mr Hawe said he ‘would be okay if he could get through the next few days’.

She prescribed sleeping tablets and Savlon cream for his feet, and advised him against using bleach on his feet again.

‘I advised it would be best to avoid any external conflict,’ she said in relation to the issue at school.

‘He did not show any delusional ideation,’ she added.

The GP described his behaviour on that occasion as ‘normal’.

‘Nothing in consultation that suggested any despair or hopelessness,’ she said.

‘He appeared positive in his outlook at the time.’