Remains of boxer to be exhumed

The remains of Olympic medal-winning boxer Darren Sutherland are to be exhumed from his final resting place at St Finian's Cemetery, Navan, according to a Meath County Manager's order granted on 10th June last. It is believed that a second post mortem is to be carried out on the remains of the champion boxer who was found dead in his London flat on 14th September last. The town of Navan came to a standstill in September last year for the funeral of Sutherland, who won a bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Sutherland, along with Kenny Egan (silver) and Paddy Barnes (bronze), brought home medals from China, adding his name to those of other sporting icons in this country. He had previously won national senior titles in 2005, '06 and '07, and two European Union gold medals. He achieved a scholarship to study sports science in Dublin City University and combined it with his training schedule. In December of last year, he fought his first fight as a professional in Dublin and went on to enjoy success in three more. Last year, he was named as the Meath Chronicle/Cusack Hotel Meath Sports Personality of the Year for 2008 in recognition of his Olympic achievement. When he died last year, the then Mayor of Navan, Cllr Joe Reilly, said: "We have lost an outstanding athlete and potential champion of the world, but foremost the Sutherlands have lost their beautiful son." He added that, as a society, we need to reach out to our young people, particularly young men, to listen to them and let them know that help is out there." The licence to exhume the remains of the boxer was issued subject to compliance with conditions specified in a report from a HSE environmental health officer.