A father of four took his own life after claims he was bullied in his workplace, an inquest has heard.

Bord na Móna employee Peter Duggan (51) died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on August 31, 2017.

The deceased, of Allenwood, Co Kildare, had made a number of complaints against co-workers over alleged bullying.

One of the allegations involved an incident at work with a mug, while another involved Mr Duggan’s own SUV.

Giving evidence, his wife Catherine Duggan said there would be “something personally done to his machinery” if he left it unattended for long periods.

After his death, a note referencing the allegations was also recovered.

Bord na Móna said there is no evidence to suggest the instances of bullying occurred.

During the inquest, gardaí, management at the company as well as Mr Duggan’s co-workers were called to give evidence.

One former colleague said in a statement: “I never bullied Peter Duggan.” Others recalled having no direct knowledge of the incidents.

Coroner Dr Denis Cusack had widened the scope of the inquest to allow for the effects of these allegations to be examined, without apportioning blame.

Despite supervisors giving evidence of an investigation taking place, former HR manager Louise Murphy said the complaint was not on Mr Duggan’s file.

The inquest is also seeking to establish the person who was responsible for investigating bullying and harassment at the company at the time of the complaint.

Gareth Leech, an environmental manager with Bord na Móna, said his recollection was that the complaint was dealt with informally.

Dr Cusack said there was no record of any interviews being carried out or a conclusion to the investigation.

Emma McCormack, a daughter of the deceased, recalled her father being upset when discussing one of the incidents involving a mug.

She said her father was normally “full of life” and that he “lit up everyone’s day in our house because of the person he was”.

Dr Cusack said any reference to the term ‘bullying’ would be treated as a descriptive term and would be referred to as alleged incidents of bullying.

He also noted there were “tensions regarding certain persons” over the circumstances of the death.

Sgt Keith Heffernan, of Kilcock garda station, said there was no suggestion of third-party involvement or criminal involvement. He said the firearm discovered at the scene belonged to Mr Duggan.

The inquest was adjourned.

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