Appeal for daughter'sbody to be returned to Britain

THE ELDERLY father of an Englishwoman who died in unexplained circumstances in Kilkenny last weekend has appealed for assistance to have his daughter's body returned to Britain.

James Hartley (73) from Wigan wept as he told listeners to KCLR Radio in Kilkenny yesterday that he had no funds to pay for his daughter Lorraine White's remains to be transported home. Mr Hartley is a widower who lives on welfare payments.

Ms White (42), a native of Wigan who had been living in the village of Callan, died in St Luke's Hospital, Kilkenny, while undergoing emergency surgery last Saturday. She had been admitted earlier that day after suffering what is believed to have been a serious sexual assault which caused grave internal injuries.

A man who was arrested on Sunday in Co Tipperary and questioned by gardaí was released without charge and a file on the case has been sent to the DPP.

Ms White's body has not yet been released by gardaí. It is understood that the postmortem was inconclusive and further pathological tests are being conducted.

Mr Hartley said he had learned about the circumstances of his daughter's death when a grandchild had read Irish newspaper reports "on the internet" and he had "cried all night". He said his priority now was "getting my child home". He described his daughter Lorraine as a "happy-go-lucky" woman who had suffered much "heartbreak" in her life .

Listeners phoned the radio station to offer financial contributions to assist. A local undertaker, who did not wish to be named, offered to "take care of everything" once the body was released.

Matt Doran, a Fianna Fáil councillor said there was "huge emotion and anger" in the village .

The British embassy in Dublin referred inquiries to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London. A spokeswoman there told The Irish Times that they "simply cannot cover the cost of repatriation [ of remains] when British subjects die overseas".