Boyd Barrett calls for investigation into 1973 baby death

People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett has called on Minister for Justice Alan Shatter to meet the legal representatives of Cynthia Owen, who alleged that as a 10-year-old child in she was raped and made pregnant by members of her family and that "senior gardaí were involved in that".

During the day-long Dáil debate about allegations of Garda misconduct and incompetence, the Dun Laoghaire TD called for the Minister to investigate the case and what he said was the failure of the gardaí to properly investigate actions within the force.

Mr Boyd Barrett said “the child that issued from that rape and abuse was murdered with serious allegations around it and her legal representatives have asked you to open that up as a public inquiry, have asked just to meet you”.

Ms Owen had alleged the baby was conceived following sexual abuse in her family home in Dalkey and was stabbed to death there in April 1973.

The body of the infant was found days later in a Dún Laoghaire laneway, wrapped in newspapers and packed into a plastic bag.

Mr Boyd Barrett said the investigation of the case was a “travesty” and was closed down after six weeks.

“Some of the people at the centre of the allegations were involved in the investigation,” he said. He told the Minister: “There was a review similar to the one you’re now proposing in these cases of the paperwork but Cynthia Owen was never interviewed herself about this horrendous case.”

Mr Boyd Barrett said he had asked two parliamentary questions into the mishandling of “that most serious of cases of rape, of murder... and you have refused to meet the representatives of Cynthia Owen”.