Riedo foundation launch in Dublin

The parents of murdered Swiss teenager Manuela Riedo have appealed to Irish people to help the foundation set up in her name.

Speaking at the Irish launch of the Manuela Riedo Foundation, Manuela's father Hans-Peter said he hoped it would honour his daughter's name.

Manuela (17) was sexually assaulted and strangled just three days after arriving in Galway in October 2007. Her killer Gerald Barry, who had a string of previous convictions, is serving life for her murder.

The foundation will help the victims of rape and their families and it hopes to provide education and awareness for young people who are most at risk of sexual assault.

Mr Riedo said: “Manuela was a very helpful person and we want this foundation to help other people in turn and ensure that what happened our daughter does not happen again.”

Both Hans-Peter and his wife Arlette are due to appear on the Late Late Showthis evening.

Mr Riedo said they struggle every day to come to terms with their only child's murder and to make sense of her death.

Arlette said the couple had made many friends in Ireland since their daughter's death and their problem was not with the Irish people but with the Irish judicial system because Manuela's killer had been free despite having multiple serious convictions.

Basle-based publican Brendan McGuinness said the foundation would give the couple something to look forward to in their daughter's name, but he said the Riedos were still struggling and had many bad days.

Mr McGuinness, who is organising a concert in the National Stadium in Berne, on July 25th, said a major Swiss brewing company, Feldschlösschen, had agreed to provide €150,000 in funding for the concert.

Bands confirmed for the festival so far are The Chieftains, The Dubliners, The Wolfe Tones, Sharon Shannon, The Kilfenora Ceili Band and Fair Isle Folk.

Among those who turned for today's launch were John Sheahan and Eamonn Campbell from The Dubliners, John Lynch from the Kilfenora Ceili Band and Brian Kilcawley from Fair Isle Folk.

Mr McGuinness said he was in contact with three or four major Irish artists and he also hoped that U2 would reconsider their decision to turn down a video link from their concert in Croke Park on the same night as the concert in Bern.

The chief executive of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre Ellen O'Malley-Dunlop praised the courage of the Riedos and said there was no funding in Ireland to educate young people about the dangers of sexual assault.

Mrs O'Malley-Dunlop said it would take a “huge cultural change” to prevent something like the death of Manuela Riedo happening again. “It is a silent crime and it is, unfortunately, very, very prevalent”.

The foundation has set up a bank account for those interested in donating. It is the Permanent TSB at Artane Sort code: 99-06-16 A/C 15132945. The website is www.manuela-riedo-foundation.ch.