Colm Keaveney (Galway East, Labour)

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for affording me this opportunity to raise a matter of great concern and sadness on behalf of the Fitzpatrick family of 61 Shannon Park, Portumna, County Galway. I raise this matter with the full consent of the family. As a Government Deputy for the constituency of Galway East, I have been instructed by the Fitzpatrick family to highlight concerns relating to the death of their beloved son and brother Matthew.

Matthew was the second youngest of nine children. He was 34 years old and worked as an interface engineer for Sanmina International. He lived in Mannheim, Germany, for three years prior to his death. On the morning of 11 December 2010, Matthew was found dead in his apartment in Germany. The Fitzpatrick family was not notified of Matthew's death until approximately 7 p.m. on 12 December, a full 36 hours after his death. They were informed of this tragic and devastating news by a member of Matthew's ex-girlfriend's family. To this day, Matthew's parents, Donal and Eileen, have not been contacted by any German official about their child's death.

According to the German police, Matthew's ex-partner Sabrina Krause made the discovery when she arrived at Matthew's apartment at approximately 10 a.m. on the morning of his death. Ms Krause was found a short time later by a neighbour, crying and saying it was her fault Matthew had died. I am referring to commentary from the coroner's report and the report of the German chief investigator. The inquest heard that she had a knife in her hand, had taken an overdose and had to be restrained when she tried to jump out of a window of the apartment block.

On 22 December 2010 the Mannheim police and the state prosecutor closed the case of Matthew's death, stating it was death by suicide. Matthew's body was repatriated to Ireland and to his family on 17 December 2010 and, on the following day, 18 December, the deputy State pathologist in this country identified numerous injuries on Matthew's body to which cause had not yet been established or resolved to the satisfaction of the Fitzpatrick family, injuries such as a blunt force trauma to the back of Matthew's head, numerous contusions and abrasions to Matthew's face and body and a deep injury to his lower back which showed considerable haemorrhaging.

The Fitzpatrick family claim with great concern that the number of injuries identified by the Irish authorities are not referred to or acknowledged in the autopsy report carried out by the German state prosecutor's office. Giving evidence, the Irish deputy State pathologist was unable to clarify the matter further and said suicidal strangulation, suicidal hanging or third party strangulation were all possibilities in this regard, which is completely contrary to the outcome of the pathologist's report in Germany.

It has been confirmed at the Irish inquest that Matthew had a friendly encounter with a married woman many months prior to his unfortunate death and that as a consequence of this brief situation, Matthew was subjected to a process of up to 20 unwelcome and unintended telephone calls days prior to his death. The coroner, Dr. Kieran Geraghty, had advised the jury they should not bring in a verdict of suicide if they had any doubt with regard to the verdict. A jury of nine Irish citizens recorded an open verdict after the hearing of that evidence.

In this regard I call on the Tánaiste and the Minister for Foreign Affairs to meet the Fitzpatrick family with a view to identifying with the concerns set out by them. It is critical that a family haunted by the tragic loss of a brother and son are satisfied by Government that it can be an agent of support if or when an injustice is perpetrated against an Irish citizen in this country or abroad.

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