I too welcome the O’Farrell family. We have spoken about Shane many times over the last seven or eight years. One does not have to have a forensic mind to understand that Shane O’Farrell should have been alive today. We should not even be speaking about him but because of systematic failures in all strands of the authorities, Shane is dead and we cannot bring him back. There is one thing that we can do, as legislators and friends of Shane and the O’Farrell family, and that is to bring justice and some solace to the family after 12 years of absolute hurt. The scoping exercise did not bring any answers. In fact, it raised more questions than answers. An exercise such as that, which went on for so long, has led to more questions about that fateful night.
If a man who had breached his bail conditions so many times had been imprisoned or had his liberty taken away on any of those occasions, this incident would never have happened. That begs the question as to why he was allowed to breach his bail conditions on so many occasions while the authorities allowed him to go free. On the night in question, Shane had the liberty to cycle and exercise, as most of us do, but the man who killed him that night should not have been at liberty. As a result of the authorities failing Shane and his family, Shane is dead.
The least the Minister can do is call for a public inquiry. That is the least she can do. I think there is a consensus among all Deputies, Opposition and Government, in calling for a public inquiry. A public inquiry will give the family some sort of solace and answers about the independence of the scoping exercise. Anything less is doing an absolute injustice to the O’Farrell family.
