Shane Malley: ‘Dangers never struck me’

A 37c SAFETY clip for blinds could have saved the life of two-year-old Arran Malley. It’s a bitter truth his devastated parents will have to live with for the rest of their lives.

A week after his son’s death Shane Malley went about the difficult task of replacing the death-trap blinds. He called into Direct Blinds in Little Island, Cork, where he was confronted by laminated newspaper articles of other Irish children who had died as a result of cord strangulation. He was shocked to find out that Arran’s case was not a one-off, freak incidence.

Co-owner of Direct Blinds, Tony O’Connell, showed Shane a small plastic child safety mechanism, costing just 37c. It’s offered — at no extra charge — with all their corded blinds. “It was the first time I’d ever heard of such a device,” says Shane.