The parents of Clonmel schoolboy Brian Rossiter, who fell unconscious while in Garda custody and subsequently died, yesterday expressed their frustration at the delay in a report on the circumstances of his detention as they marked the fifth anniversary of his death. Barry Roche, Southern Correspondent, reports.
Pat Rossiter said he and his family were waiting five years on for answers as to what happened to their 14-year-old son in Clonmel Garda station on the night of his arrest, September 9th, 2002, and how he came to be found unconscious in his cell the following morning.
In July 2005, following a sustained campaign by Pat and Siobhán Rossiter, assisted by solicitor Cian O'Carroll, the then minister for justice Michael McDowell ordered the setting up of a statutory inquiry into the arrest and detention of Brian Rossiter.
The inquiry, which was set up under the Dublin Metropolitan Police Act of 1924, was headed up by Hugh Hartnett SC and began hearing evidence from the first of more than 100 witnesses on December 5th, 2005, before taking evidence from its last witness on September 11th, 2006.
"It's more than frustrating, it's demoralising," said Mr Rossiter. "It's five years on from Brian's death on September 13th, 2002, and it's over two years on since Michael McDowell set up this inquiry, and over a year on since Mr Hartnett completed hearing evidence.
"We've been waiting since last September for some indication as to when Mr Hartnett is going to complete his report but we haven't an iota of indication as to when it's going to be finished. At this stage it's beyond a joke."
Mr Rossiter's comments were echoed by his wife, who said she never thought when her son died in 2002 that she and her family would still be having to cope five years later with the trauma of trying to find out how he died.
"Your whole life is on hold... The inquest can't go ahead until this report is finished and the civil action we have against the State is on hold - we just can't move on," said Mrs Rossiter.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Justice said the report would be forwarded to Minister Brian Lenihan but there was no indication yet as to when that would be.