Fundamental questions remain over Shane O'Farrell killing- TD

Publication of scoping report into circumstances of 23-year-old's death.

Questions remain over the killing of Shane O'Farrell, despite the publication of the scoping report into the circumstances of the 23-year-old's death.

Speaking in the Dáil, local Fianna Fáil TD Brendan Smith said the scoping report does not answer how the person who killed Shane O'Farrell was at large on August 2, 2011.

Mr O'Farrell, aged 23, died in a hit-and-run incident in Co Monaghan involving a car driven by Zigimantas Gridziuska, the individual referred to in the report as "ZG".

Deputy Smith said: "The O'Farrell family has campaigned and continues to campaign tirelessly and with the utmost grace and dignity, seeking justice for their son and brother. They have asked legitimate questions and those questions have not been answered. We debated this serious issue in this House in 2018 and subsequently the scoping inquiry was established.

"Shane died following a fatal road traffic accident in Co Monaghan in August 2011. He was killed in that hit and run by Mr. Gridziuska, a man who had 42 previous convictions. He was on bail in respect of several offences and he had breached the conditions of his bail. That man should not have been at liberty, to say the least. Instead he was driving a vehicle that was involved in a hit and run, resulting in the death of a fine young man.

Deputy Smith added that the offences committed by Gridziuska should have resulted in that man's bail being revoked "but no steps were taken by the Garda to ensure that happened".

"No matter how we debate these issues, and no matter at what length, there is a fundamental question that the scoping report does not answer. That question is how the person who killed Shane was at large on 2 August," the Cavan-Monaghan TD said.

"Shane was not responsible for his death. Speeding offences are not trivial. The least the O'Farrell family deserves is to get the truth on how there was such a litany of dereliction of duty on behalf of State agencies and officials in the man who drove that vehicle that caused Shane's death being at large on that day. Those questions have not been answered in any respect in the scoping report."