THE Tanaiste, Mr Spring, said he was "appalled" that the body of Kerry teenager found dead outside Tralee on Tuesday was left lying in bad weather for 24 hours.
Speaking in west Cork yesterday, Mr Spring said it was "not good enough in this day and age" that the remains of the boy - James Healy (16) - of Shanakill, close to Mr Spring's home, had not been attended by the State pathologist's office for almost 24 hours.
Mr Spring said he had already spoken to the Minister for Justice, Mrs Owen, about the possibility of locating an assistant pathologist outside the Dublin area and added that officials would look at the best options. He said, however, that calls for such an appointment to be made in the Cork area might not be the best remedy, given that murders often took place in other parts of the State. "We have had a conversation about the matter and the best options will now be explored," Mr Spring said.
A post-mortem examination has established the teenager died as a result of head injuries. A full report on the injuries will be submitted to the Garda in due course.
The teenager's body was found in a field adjoining the Shanakill housing estate where he lived. A length of electrical piping was found near the body and may be the murder weapon. Gardai were notified of the discovery at 10.40 a.m. on Tuesday.
The State pathologist, Dr John Harbison, arrived in Tralee late on Tuesday night to carry out a preliminary examination and it was only then that the father of the dead boy, Mr James Healy, was able to see his son's remains. Mr Healy was understood to be outraged that a picture of the body appeared in the Star newspaper on Wednesday before the full post-mortem examination was completed. Gardai in Tralee also expressed concern about the media naming the dead boy before they were satisfied as to his identity.
In the Dail yesterday, Fianna Fail TD Mr Batt O'Keeffe was ruled out of order when he attempted to question the Taoiseach about the length of time it took Dr Harbison to arrive in Tralee. Mr O'Keeffe was also critical of the fact that the remains of Ms Sophie Toscan du Plantier - the French woman murdered in west Cork before Christmas - lay in a laneway near her holiday home for almost 24 hours before Dr Harbison reached the scene.
"When a body is allowed to lie for so long, the temperature drops and this hinders the Garda investigation, making it difficult to establish with accuracy the probable time of death. There is a clear case to be made for appointing a pathologist in the Munster region," Mr O'Keeffe said.
In the Tralee case, Mr Healy's body lay under plastic sheeting for almost the same length of time before it was taken to Tralee General Hospital for the post-mortem examination. Local people said it was disquieting that the body had remained in the field in particularly bad weather for so long.
Gardai are keeping an open mind on the murder and yesterday continued house-to-house interviews in the Shanakill area. Students at the FAS training centre, near where the body was found, were also questioned.
Mr Healy was the second-oldest in a family of four. His mother, Ms Kathleen Healy, with his brothers Donal (17), and Alan (11), and sister, Sarah (8), were staying with friends yesterday.