Former state pathologist John Harbison dies TheJournal.ie

FORMER STATE PATHOLOGIST Professor John Harbison has died.

Harbison, who was 80 years old, passed away peacefully yesterday according to a death notice posted online.

He became the state’s first forensic pathologist in 1974 and retired in 2003.

During his 30-year career, he was involved in a number of high-profile cases, including those of Sophie Toscan Du Plantier, Kerry’s babies, and father Niall Molloy.

Before serving as the country’s first forensic pathologist, he was Professor of Medical Jurisprudence at Trinity College Dublin and, in the early 1990s, he was appointed Professor of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology at the Royal College of Surgeons.

Harbison was replaced by Professor Marie Cassidy in January 2004. Cassidy later retired in 2018.

He is survived by his wife Kathleen, children Isobel and Austin, grandchildren Jack and Edith, brother Peter, and son-in-law Conor. He will be buried on Monday.