Expert: Treat Bessborough as a potential crime scene 

UCC bioarchaeologist Dr Barra Ó Donnabháin said if planning for apartment scheme is approved, bulldozing a place of burial 'would add to the wrongs of the past' 

UCC bioarchaeologist Dr Barra Ó Donnabháin said Bessborough graveyard 'a site of national and international importance and it has to be handled carefully'. Picture: Larry Cummins

An Irish expert who helped identify the remains of victims of the Srebrenica atrocity says the Bessborough mother and baby home site in Cork is a potential crime scene that must be treated with sensitivity and respect.

UCC bioarchaeologist Dr Barra Ó Donnabháin said babies were dying of starvation in Bessborough during the 1940s and 50s, with "marasmus" listed as a cause of death – a good indicator of abuse in the form of neglect.