
THE family of murdered Limerick teenager Jeffrey Hannan, who was beaten to death with a hatchet 15 years ago, have all but abandoned hope that his killer will ever be brought to justice.
Alan Hannan, Jeffreyโs father, said Gardai have โutterly failedโ to get justice for his son, as several separate investigations have run cold.
Enquires by an Assistant Garda Commissioner have failed to yield any further evidence; a criminal investigation by the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) into serious allegations that a detective garda withheld a witness statement from the investigation team in order to protect an informant, has stalled; and a separate review of the murder investigation by Limerick gardai has also failed to bring the case forward.
The internal garda probe into the claims against the detective ended when the officer retired from the force.
Gardai believe that innocent Jeffrey, (19), was beaten to death with a hatchet as he attended a bonfire near his home at Galtee Drive, OโMalley Park, in the early hours on November 22, 2007.
The unprovoked killing was witnessed by several other people, gardai believe.
โI feel that Iโm let down by the Gardaรญ, the State, and by GSOC, the whole lot of them. They know who did it, they know who murdered Jeffrey, so why donโt they go after them, itโs ridiculous,โ said Alan Hannan.
โIโm absolutely devastated that no one has been charged with killing Jeffrey. Southill is a small place and everyone knows everyoneโs business there, I was told who murdered Jeffrey on the morning he died, the Gardaรญ also know who murdered Jeffrey, they have told me that, and witnesses have given statements, but no one has been brought to court, why is that?, itโs not right,โ said Mr Hannan.
Itโs been a tragic long road for the Hannan family with many twists and turns.
Alan Hannan has been contacted by a number of individuals over the years, who had been afraid to go to the gardai and who claimed to have significant information about his sonโs murder, however this has also failed to bring the case on.
Alan Hannan claims he had a meeting with a senior garda in February 2019, but that his concerns were dismissed by the officer. Later, the following March he made a formal Garda statement outlining his concerns and other allegations in relation to his sonโs murder.
Mr Hannan said he has yet to receive an adequate response from gardai about this, and, โwhy did it take two yearsโ for Gardaรญ to search a house for a murder weapon, and, why it was six weeks before Gardaรญ made their first arrests in the case.
On March 7, 2019, Mr Hannan made a formal complaint to GSOC, which later informed him that it had determined the complaint was โadmissible under Section 87 of the (Garda Siochana) Actโ and that GSOC โhas decided that the complaint should be investigated in accordance with Section 98 of the Act, in other words a criminal investigationโ.
Mr Hannan wrote to the Garda Commissioner Drew Harris in 2019 seeking a meeting. In March 2021, after Limerick Sinn Fein TD, Maurice Quinlivan, who sits on the local Joint Policing Committee, made representations on Mr Hannanโs behalf, Garda Headquarters arranged for Assistant Commissioner Michael Finn, Head of the Southern Region, An Garda Siochana, to make contact.
Alan Hannan and Ass Comm Finn have met a number of times, however Finnโs enquires have also run cold.
GSOC have informed Mr Hannan their enquires have also stalled unless new evidence emerges.
When asked for comment, a GSOC spokeswoman replied: โAs this investigation remains open, GSOC is not in a position to provide any update at this time.โ
Despite advances in DNA technology, recent forensic tests carried out on clothing seized by gardai years earlier, which they suspect was worn by individuals on the night of the murder, have also failed to bring the case forward.
Mr Hannan added: โIf allegations were made against me that I withheld a statement from a murder investigation, I would be arrested, wouldnโt I? Has this retired garda been arrested, are gardaรญ going to question them, like they would any other civilian? I canโt get any answers from the Gardaรญ about this.โ
With little sing of a breakthrough in the case, Alan Hannan said he will investigate โif the European Court of Justice or Court of Human Rights can help meโ.
When these and other questions were put to the Garda Press Office, a spokesman replied: โAn Garda Sรญochรกna does not generally provide specific details of the conduct of any particular criminal investigation.โ
โAn Garda Sรญochรกna does not comment on either investigations carried out by the Garda Sรญochรกna Ombudsman Commission or internal disciplinary matters,โ they added.
โAn Garda Sรญochรกna can confirm an internal review into this matter has been completed by Limerick Garda Divisions.โ
โThe investigation into the murder of Mr Jeffrey Hannan remains an active investigation. Over the years, a number of arrests have been made as part of the investigation.โ
โAn Garda Sรญochรกna continues to appeal to any members of the public with any information relating to this murder to please come forward,โ added the Garda spokesman.
Mr Hannan also contacted the Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee, and her spokesman replied that the minister could not get involved.
โDisciplinary matters within An Garda Siochana are a matter for the Garda Commissioner and not for the Minister, and in thee circumstances it would be inappropriate for the Minister to comment,โ said her spokesman.