I want to start by acknowledging the courage and determination of Kelly Lynch's family and especially her mother. Her determination in the face of unimaginable grief has been extraordinary. As a mother I cannot imagine the grief of having to bury your own child. On top of this, Kelly's family has to mourn her death while advocating for justice and answers. Kelly was just 23 years old when she was found in the Ulster Canal in Monaghan. Almost immediately her family raised serious concerns about the circumstances surrounding her death. They pointed to details that simply did not add up, including Kelly's hair, her shoes, her clothing and the extent of her injuries. Instead of these concerns being properly investigated they were dismissed.

The handling of this case is troubling. The scene was not properly isolated and Kelly's clothing was returned to her family without any forensic testing being conducted. Kelly had 93 injuries and yet the police were far too quick to rule her death as misadventure or suicide. They did not follow up on the family's concerns and critical opportunities to preserve evidence were lost. Since then an independent review by pathologist Dr. Fintan Garavan has challenged the original conclusions, finding evidence that he believes is consistent with a violent assault rather than an accidental death.

I welcome the Garda Commissioner's decision to order a review into the handling of Kelly's case but a review on its own is not enough. The real question is what will change because of this review. What accountability will there be? What will change in the Garda so that another family is not put in the exact same position? Every sudden or unexplained death should be treated as suspicious until a full and proper investigation proves otherwise. I ask again that the Minister for justice meets Kelly Lynch's family. It is so important that he hears their experience of failures in the justice system in this country.