Gardaí visited 5 days after first warning

GARDAÍ were first notified of concerns about the Dunne family on April 18, at least three days before they died, but no member of the force called to the door until April 23.

The first notification took place when a funeral director in New Ross rang an officer known to her, identified as Garda A, and informed him of an unusual call she had from a man wanting to pre-plan his family’s funeral.

She only had the man’s first name, Adrian, and scant details about his location, and of his brother’s suicide, none of which were sufficient to identify him to Garda A who asked for a typed copy of the instructions she’d received.

On April 20, after Mr Dunne had attended the funeral director in person, she again rang Garda A who suggested she ring a local curate known to Mr Dunne. He later told the inquiry he felt the funeral director had stalled Mr Dunne by telling him to return on April 23 when she would have all his requests finalised for him.

The curate rang Garda A but was told he was off-duty so he went to call on the Dunnes.

Garda A returned to duty the next day, April 21, at noon, and found the funeral director had left in typed instructions Mr Dunne had given her. He rang his superior, Superintendent B.

He later explained his belated concern by telling the inquiry: “It’s one thing over the phone and one thing to see it down in writing.” Superintendent B subsequently rang Superintendent C, in whose area the Dunnes lived, and he made contact with Sergeant D who arranged for Garda E to patrol past the Dunne house.

He asked to check if the family car was there. Garda E found the car present. The report noted: “There was no instruction to knock on the door or speak to the family.”

Superintendent C also rang the HSE’s child care manager and the Monageer parish priest. He didn’t get the priest but did make contact with the child care manager.

The report says it is unlikely a Garda visit to the house would have prevented the deaths.

However, it says gardaí should have considered contacting Adrian Dunne’s family about the funeral plans. It also says any garda receiving information concerning the safety of a child should immediately inform a superior and it reminds gardaí of their powers to remove children at risk.