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Inquiry begins into Dunne
family deaths
07.01.08
AN inquiry began
today into the deaths of a Burt woman and her
family whose bodies were found in their home in
County Wexford last April.
Ciara Dunne, her husband Adrian and their two
children, Leanne, 5 and Shania, 3, were found dead
by Gardaí after concern had been expressed about
their safety. |
It appeared that Mr.
Dunne had killed himself after taking the lives of
his wife and daughters.
It later emerged that the authorities had become
aware of a risk to the family's safety and it is
understood the Dunnes visited a local undertaker
prior to the incident. The tragedy sparked
widespread grief in Burt and the |
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surrounding areas.
Ciara (nee O'Brien) was the niece of millionaire
property developer P.J. McDermott who co-owns An
Grianan Hotel.
The inquiry, chaired by barrister Kate Brosnan, is
taking place at an unknown Dublin location and is
not open to the public or to the media. It is
expected to take three months to complete and may
make recommendations in relation to childcare
services not operating outside office hours.
Another focus of the investigation is expected to be
whether the authorities have enough legal powers to
intervene under current law. The Childcare Act
(1991) deals specifically with emergency situations.
The inquiry report will be presented on completion
to the Minister for Health. It is not yet known if
the report will be made public. |
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