The family of a young Monaghan man who was killed by a hit-and-run-driver who should have been in jail at the time will meet the Taoiseach later today to urge for a public inquiry into his death.
Shane O'Farrell, a 23-year-old law graduate, was killed while cycling near his home in Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan, on 2 August 2011.
The driver of the car, Zigimantas Gridziuska, had previous convictions, including for theft, drugs and road traffic offences.
Gridziuska left the scene but later handed himself into gardaí.
A ruling from Monaghan Circuit Court in January 2011 meant the Lithuanian national should have been in jail at the time of Mr O'Farrell's death.
Instead, he remained on bail despite being arrested on both sides of the border for various crimes.
Concurrent prison sentences imposed on Gridziuska in 2010 were never served, due to what the Court Services of Ireland later identified as an administrative error.
Another prison sentence handed down in February 2011 was also not imposed.
The O'Farrell family have long campaigned for a public inquiry into the circumstances leading to Mr O'Farrell's death, arguing reviews by GSOC, the Independent Review Mechanism and the Courts Service did not go far enough.
Shane's parents Lucia and Jim and his four sisters will meet Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Minister for Justice Helen McEntee this afternoon at Government Buildings.
"This case remains live and will continue to remain live until its addressed fully. We've recently discovered more failings and that's very unfair, 11 years on, that we're still learning things," Shane's mother Lucia told RTÉ’s Drivetime.
In 2018, the Dáil passed a Fianna Fáil motion calling on the Government to establish a Commission of investigation into the death of Mr O'Farrell.
Mr Martin, then opposition leader, told the Dáil how the case revealed "shocking malpractice and dysfunction within our criminal justice system at all levels. An inquiry should be established."
Speaking ahead of the meeting, Ms O'Farrell said: "We would ask them to honour their commitment and our family but also to the people of Ireland as the Government have a duty to address very serious public policy issues and there are very serious issues in this case."
"I hope Micheál Martin would honour and deliver on his promise to us and to Shane, who's silent in all this," she added.
"Shane lay on a cold road that night. He is an Irish citizen who was killed by somebody who shouldn't have been on the road that night. And if they think they are things that should not be looked into, that's a very damning indictment," said Shane's sister Gemma.
Lucia added: "We need truth. We have snippets of information. Have we the full picture yet? I'm not sure. Will Shane get justice, will he get truth? I think so because he deserves it."
A Government spokesperson said: "The Taoiseach will meet with the O’Farrell family to discuss the judge’s report and it would be inappropriate to comment in advance of that meeting."
In 2019, the Government ordered a scoping exercise review, led by Judge Gerard Haughton, to examine whether a public inquiry was necessary and if so, to determine its terms of reference.
Judge Haughton completed his work on 1 June and an advance copy of the report has been furnished to the O'Farrell family and Minister McEntee.
It is believed the report is 400 pages and will be presented to Cabinet before being published in the coming weeks.
Ms McEntee will discuss the report with the family at the meeting.
A spokesperson said: "Since receipt of the final report the advice of the Attorney General was sought and received in relation to the issue of publication and other matters arising.
"Further, each Department/Agency responsible for issues giving rise to recommendations in the Report has been written to.
"Once the Minister has concluded her consideration of the report, she will decide how to proceed."
