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Pringle calls for public inquiry into death of Shane O’Farrell
- Updated: 10th July 2024
Independent TD for Donegal, Thomas Pringle, said a full, public inquiry is needed into the death of Shane O’Farrell, as he co-sponsored a motion calling for the inquiry.
Addressing the Dáil on Tuesday evening, Deputy Pringle said: “I would once again like to express my condolences and support to the O’Farrell family in their fight for the State to recognise and properly address the significance of their case.
“It is extremely cruel that the O’Farrell family has been forced to continue this fight to get the answers they need and I can’t imagine the scale of grief they have suffered over the past nearly 13 years. It is unacceptable that they have been forced through this and that, despite being raised many times in this House, we still have yet to receive the answers they are so desperately looking for.
“All they are asking for is answers, yet it seems that they are posing questions that are too big, questions that the State is not able or willing to answer,” he said.
The deputy was speaking on the Motion re Inquiry into the Death of Shane O’Farrell, which he brought forward with Sinn Féin, Labour and independent TDs Joan Collins, Carol Nolan and Violet Anne Wynne.
Deputy Pringle said: “The report of scoping exercise in relation to the death of Shane O’Farrell was published a year ago and still many serious issues remain unaddressed. Although lengthy, it is clear to me that this report is incomplete.
“The report is incredibly disappointing for those who have waited so long to see it published and it is clear that there are some very big, unexplained holes in it.
“Throughout the report, State bodies are continuously excused from any accountability and the scoping exercise failed to uncover thorough or factual answers to very vital questions relating to Shane’s death.
“The crux of the situation is that if the criminal justice system had worked as it should, Mr. Gridziuska would have been in custody on the day he killed Shane O’Farrell and this is an impossible reality to live with and an incredible injustice,” he said.
The deputy said: “We understandably expect that when a sentence is imposed by the courts, that that sentence will be served. To discover that this isn’t always the case is unsettling and to realise that such a tragic death of a young man, just starting out in life, could have been avoided is devastating.
“There is no doubt that An Garda Síochána, the Courts Service and the Department of Justice have many questions to answer. There has been a litany of failures on so many levels, by so many bodies and this must be investigated.
“It is for this reason that there must be a full public inquiry into this case,” he said.
Deputy Pringle said: “It is disingenuous of the Minister, in her response, to refer this to the Justice Committee. I am a member of the Justice Committee and I know the Justice Committee has shut down debate at every point and at every stage on other issues.”
He said: “Why would the Justice Committee be any different now, in the jaws of an election?
Referring the matter to the Justice Committee, “is only to be seen to be doing something and it would ensure there will not be answers for the O’Farrell family, and that would be a disgrace,” Deputy Pringle said.
