Police Ombudsman in contact with Shane O'Farrell's family
The Police Ombudsman has said that it has been in direct contact with the family of Shane O'Farrell today.
The family yesterday received a public apology from the Government, who admitted there had been "failures" on the part of the State in relation to Mr O'Farrell's death.
The 23-year-old law graduate was knocked off his bicycle and killed in a hit-and-run incident near his home in Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan in August 2011.
The car that hit Mr O'Farrell was driven by Zigimantas Gridziuska.
The Lithuanian national was a repeat offender on bail. A court ruling meant that he should have been in jail at the time of the collision due to his re-offending.
Despite receiving the public apology from the Government yesterday, Shane's mother, Lucia said there are still questions to be answered in terms of how such circumstances could transpire that Gridziuska was on the road that day almost 14 years ago.
Speaking outside the Dáil yesterday, Ms O'Farrell said: "Did you hear the litany of times he [Gridziuska] should have been brought back and wasn't, and why did that happen? Nobody is asking why.
"I think those answers need to be given to us.
"It doesn't have to be in the public inquiry, it can be in the GSOC [now Fiosrú - The Office of the Police Ombudsman] reports that have been refused to us.
"There is a file on him [Gridziuska] in the Garda National Crime and Security Intelligence Service, what is in that file?
"Our child lies in a grave. We should be given the answers and, apologies, yes, if it goes so far but we do need answers to our questions," Ms O'Farrell said.
In a brief statement this evening, a spokesperson for Fiosrú said: "The Police Ombudsman has been in direct contact with O'Farrell family this afternoon and for now is not making any statement on the matter."
The Office of the Police Ombudsman, Fiosrú, took over the responsibilities of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) from the beginning of last month.
It is now the independent body that deals with complaints by the members of the public concerning members of An Garda Síochána.
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