The parents of an 18-year-old girl who died after she fell down some concrete steps after a night out have described the Garda investigation into her death as 'juvenile'.
They added that they will seek legal advice on how the authorities can be held accountable for what they called their 'inadequate investigation'.
Derek and Bobbie Kelly made the comments after an inquest into the death of their daughter Claire held at Dublin City Coroner's Court today.
'The investigation process was juvenile to say the least. Their lack of competence has to be questioned. All I asked was that they investigate the circumstances surrounding her death properly. They didn't do that,' Mr Kelly said.
The inquest heard that the Kelly's had been seeking the return of their daughter's clothes and other 'personal artifacts' for two years but the gardaí had yet to return them.
Claire Kelly of Woodlands, Greystones, Co Wicklow, died at Dublin's Beaumont Hospital on 10 November, 2004, two-and-a-half weeks after she fell down some concrete steps on Marine Parade in Greystones.
At the request of coroner Dr Brian Farrell, Sgt Malachy Crowley said he would order the release of the items to the family from Bray Garda Station.
The inquest heard that Ms Kelly had been socialising in the Beech Club in Greystones before being walked home by her friend Stephen Massey when the accident occurred. She drank a noggin of vodka followed by several more drinks over the course of the night.
After leaving the nightclub, Brian Delaney said his friend was 'swaying' and she then fell over and chipped her tooth. Shortly after this, Mr Massey offered to walk her home. The inquest heard that Ms Kelly was due to go on a family holiday to Gran Canaria the following day.
A statement from Mr Massey read out in court said he was waiting for her at the top of the concrete steps on Marine Parade on their walk home when he walked down and found her lying at the bottom of the steps bleeding from her head.
He telephoned his father and they brought her home. Her parents then drove her to hospital. 'The only way she could communicate was to squeeze my hand,' Mr Kelly said.
Mr Kelly told the inquest that there was a 'lack of support' by gardaí in providing the family with information in relation to their daughter's death. He also criticised the authorities for failing to interview a clinician at St Vincent's Hospital who told him his daughter's injuries suggested that her fall 'was assisted'.
Mr Kelly was also critical of the fact that the gardaí failed to get all of his daughter's mobile phone records from that night and said there were discrepancies in Mr Massey's statement that gardaí failed to follow up on.
Garda Tom McKenna said the mobile phone network O2 had not provided the gardaí with all the records, possibly because her phone was never recovered.
Mr Kelly also queried why Barry Massey drove his daughter straight home instead of to the hospital.
Dr Farrell recorded a verdict of accidental death and said he did not believe there were any suspicious circumstances surrounding her death. A post mortem found she sustained skull fractures and died from head injuries.
