Details sought of Spanish inquiry into Irishman's death

An Oireachtas committee will call on the Spanish ambassador to appear before it to explain the investigation by Spanish police into the death of an Irishman in Gran Canaria in April 2003.

The Joint Committee on European Affairs heard yesterday from the family of Daniel O'Callaghan (24) who was found severely injured in a lane in Playa del Inglés, Gran Canaria, two years ago, and who died in Las Palmas 2½ weeks later.

A number of Irish MEPs met with a Spanish government representative yesterday and reportedly received an undertaking that there would be a full investigation into Mr O'Callaghan's death.

Last night a spokesman for Minister for Justice Michael McDowell said the Minister welcomed the move.

Yesterday Mr O'Callaghan's mother, Maeve Pomeroy, told the committee it was the family's "heartfelt wish" that he be "accorded in death the dignity of his humanity" and "his right under Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights with an appropriate investigation of his death and of the failure to conduct such an investigation over a two-year period".

At the committee, Mr McDowell described as "deeply worrying" a letter from the Gran Canaria authorities to Ms Pomeroy, dated February 25th this year, in which they told her: "The reports of the pathologists who carried out the postmortem conclude that the cause of the death was an accidental fall."

A postmortem by State pathologist Prof Marie Cassidy, performed when Mr O'Callaghan's body was brought home, found the cause of death had been a head injury due to blunt force trauma, with a fracture on the skull and forehead. An inquest in January this year found the cause of death was unlawful killing.

However, the investigation by the Gran Canaria police was, according to Mr McDowell, "not comprehensive at all". The local police did not cordon off the scene of Mr O'Callaghan's death, did not forensically examine the scene or his body and did not interview anyone in the apartment complex where more than 100 balconies overlooked the scene.

Ms Pomeroy asked that the Department of Foreign Affairs "accord due priority to this matter".

The family said there should be a call by the Irish Government for a review of policing in the Playa del Inglés area. The family had had numerous calls since the death from people who had suffered attacks there.

Chairman of the committee John Deasy said the Spanish ambassador would be called to appear, though he could not be compelled to attend.