Mother of baby Noeleen wants facts revealed

THE mother of a baby girl whose body was found dumped in a laneway in Dún Laoghaire over 32 years ago has made an impassioned plea for the full facts of her daughter’s death to be established.

Cynthia Owen went public for the first time, repeating claims she witnessed her baby being stabbed to death immediately after her birth in 1973. Her mother went public earlier this year denying the allegations.

A house in Dalkey, where the family lived in the 1970s, was excavated by gardaí earlier this summer after Ms Owen claimed the body of her second child, a boy called John, was buried in the back garden. A two-week search of the site failed to uncover any evidence to support this.

The 43-year-old claims her children were born when she was 11 and 15 as a result of sexual abuse by other family members.

Her family has denied her allegations that she was sexually abused at home as a child.

Following an adjournment of the inquest into the death of her baby, Noeleen at Dún Laoghaire Coroner’s Court yesterday, the women said she was anxious for the full facts of the case to be determined “so that justice may finally be done.”

Speaking just 100 yards from where her daughter’s body was found on Lee’s Lane on April 4, 1973, Ms Owen said the past 32 years had been extremely traumatic for herself and her family.

The court heard that the original inquest into baby Noeleen’s death in April 1973 determined that she had died from haemorrhaging of blood vessels in her neck as a result of stab wounds.

No formal identification of the body was made at the time and the infant was buried in an angel’s plot in Dublin.

At the re-opening of the inquest yesterday, Dublin County Coroner, Dr Kieran Geraghty, said he was conscious that the matter had been going on a long time.

Inspector Máire Lernihan of Dún Laoghaire Garda station applied for an adjournment of the inquest under Section 25 of the Coroner’s Act, as a criminal prosecution over the baby’s death remained possible.

She told the court that the investigation was at an advanced stage and a file on the case was almost complete.

Gardai still had to conduct some inquiries as well as interview a number of people about the matter.

Inspector Lernihan said she expected the file would be forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions within the next month.

Dr Michael Forde SC, for Noeleen’s mother, said his client was anxious for the inquest to be conducted as early as possible because she had carried the loss of her baby for the last 32 years.

The court heard Ms Owen, who now lives in England, had given several detailed statements to gardaí about her baby’s death.

Dr Geraghty said he had no intention of allowing the matter “to drag on.” But he pointed out that he was obliged under legislation to accede to the gardaí’s request for an adjournment.

But the coroner indicated he would proceed with the full inquest at the next hearing date, if the DPP decided there should be no criminal prosecution.

Dr Geraghty adjourned the inquest until February 1, 2006.

A female friend Ms Owen shouted out in court that the decision to adjourn the hearing was “cruel.” “She has waited too long for this,” she told the coroner.

However, speaking outside the courthouse, Ms Owen said she was grateful that Dr Geraghty had put a time limit on the Garda’s investigation.

“Many questions remain unanswered and for the sake of my daughter, Noeleen, and my son, John I will not rest until those answers are furnished,” she remarked.