Ukrainian teenager killed in emergency care facility suffered multiple stab wounds, inquest hears
Seán McCárthaigh
A Ukrainian teenager who was killed during a violent incident in a care facility in north Dublin last year suffered multiple stab wounds to his body, an inquest has heard.
Vadym Davydenko (17) died on October 15th 2025, following an incident at an emergency residential unit located in an apartment in Grattan Wood, Donaghmede, which occurred around 11am.
The teenager had recently arrived in Ireland from Kyiv and had been living in the 24-hour care facility, which housed four unaccompanied children seeking international protection under a “special emergency arrangement.”
The apartment was overseen by a private company on behalf of Tusla.
At a sitting of Dublin District Coroner’s Court on Monday, the opening of an inquest into the teenager’s death heard DNA samples had been used to confirm the deceased’s identity.
The teenager’s mother, Natalya Davydenko, gave evidence via videolink that she had provided a DNA sample to gardaí.
Garda Niall Crowley said tests carried out by Forensic Science Ireland confirmed that the deceased was Ms Davydenko’s biological son.
The coroner, Aisling Gannon, informed the hearing that the results of a postmortem showed that Mr Davydenko had died from “multiple sharp force injuries.”
Detective Inspector Donncha Maguire applied for an adjournment of the inquest under Section 25 (2) of the Coroners Act on the basis that criminal proceedings had already been initiated in the case.
Maguire said an individual had been arrested and charged before the courts.
Gannon granted the application for an adjournment of the inquest “sine die” (with no appointed day for a resumed hearing) due to the related criminal proceedings.
Following the incident last October, another young male was arrested at the scene before being taken to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
A female staff member, who tried to intervene to stop the fight, was treated for minor injuries and also received treatment in hospital.
During a court hearing last December, a youth charged with Mr Davydenko’s murder asked for forgiveness for his actions.
The 17-year-old accused, who comes originally from Somalia, claimed via an interpreter that documents which indicated he is a juvenile were false.
He told the court via videolink that his “country has gone to bits, and anyone can make a document to say they are 17.”
The defendant’s lawyers also claimed there were doubts over his actual age.
The accused cannot be named as the prosecution is proceeding on the basis that he is a minor.
At a subsequent hearing in February, however, he told the court: “My age is 17, what more do the police want?”
Judge Paul Kelly noted that the Somali authorities at the time had not responded to queries from An Garda Síochána.
A court sitting in February heard that the accused is no longer under the care of Tusla.
However, a solicitor for Tusla confirmed that the child and family agency continues to support and visit the teenager.
The court also heard that Tusla was considering a judicial review of a decision not to grant the agency an interim care order due to the uncertainty over the accused’s age.
During the hearing, Detective Sergeant Mark Quill told the court that he believed the defendant is over 18, but some documentation issues remained outstanding.
Quill said the engagement with the Somali authorities had been “one-way”
The accused has been remanded in custody at the Oberstown Children Detention Campus pending verification of his age, while he is awaiting a trial which will be held before the Central Criminal Court.
