Lucia O’Farrell, the mother of hit-and-run victim Shane O’Farrell, has said she was “terribly disappointed” that Heather Humphreys did not support the Monaghan family’s campaign for a public inquiry into failings in the criminal justice system surrounding her son’s death.
Ms O’Farrell said the Fine Gael presidential candidate is “not capable of being the president for the people of Ireland, when she can’t represent her own people in Monaghan”.
Shane O’Farrell died in a hit-and-run incident in Co Monaghan in 2011. The 23-year-old was knocked off his bike by a man with multiple convictions.
For 14 years his mother has been campaigning for answers about how and why Zigimantas Gridziuska, who was driving the car that hit Mr O’Farrell, was out on bail at the time. Gridziuska had 42 previous convictions, including for road-traffic offences, theft and heroin possession.
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Earlier this year the O’Farrell family were offered a State apology for failings in the criminal justice system. Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan also announced a review of bail laws, “to help prevent other families having to suffer in the way the O’Farrell family have suffered”.
[ Dáil hears claim that driver who killed Shane O’Farrell was a Garda ‘informer’Opens in new window ]
Ms O’Farrell told The Irish Times the family had been supported by politicians from across the political spectrum, adding, “we were very lucky with those kind and good people who had a good heart”. These included politicians from Sinn Féin, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, as well as Independents, she said.
But Ms O’Farrell said the family were not supported by Ms Humphreys, who was their local TD in Monaghan for the period between Mr O’Farrell’s death and last year’s general election.
“She never stood shoulder to shoulder with us outside the Dáil, when almost everyone else did. When the doors were bulging in Buswells Hotel, when we had a press conference, she wasn’t there,” Ms O’Farrell said.
He killed Shane O'Farrell. Why was he out on bail?
“I was terribly disappointed in that. I thought as a local representative from Cavan Monaghan, as our local representative, and as a mother, that it would be different.”
Ms O’Farrell said she has never met Ms Humphreys, although she received some email correspondence from her. She also said she called Ms Humphreys in the year before the State apology and asked to meet the then minister to show her documents relating to Mr O’Farrell’s case. Ms Humphreys asked Ms O’Farrell to send the documents to her, Ms O’Farrell said.
She said she expected Ms Humphreys to contact the family after the State apology was issued.
There is no record of Ms Humphreys having raised the family’s case in the Dáil. She responded to questions from other politicians asked on behalf of the O’Farrell family when she briefly served as minister for justice while Helen McEntee was on maternity leave.
“And she read from a script,” Ms O’Farrell said.
A spokesman for Ms Humphreys said: “The O’Farrell family have endured terrible pain since the loss of Shane. Heather has spoken with Lucia in the past. She welcomes the State apology from Minister Jim O’Callaghan to the family.”
