Paul Murphy Demands Scouting Ireland Apologise for Aoife Winterlich
Paul Murphy criticised Scouting Ireland over the 2015 death of 14-year-old Aoife Winterlich and called for a full apology and an independent investigation. He said the organisation has not apologised for its role and highlighted failures in duty of care.
In December 2015 Aoife Winterlich, who was 14, went on a trip organised by Scouting Ireland to Hookhead. There was no assessment of the risks, it was a very stormy day, there was no guidance, there was no warning, and there was nobody watching, and Aoife was swept out to sea and died.
Murphy noted that it took eight years and a court case being brought for Scouting Ireland to finally acknowledge liability in this circumstance. A respondent in the debate said the matter had been through the courts and involved a full assessment during that process.
Murphy said the Scouts have offered an apology for the tragic loss of the daughter but not for their role in that loss. He described ongoing correspondence with the Scouts, saying their last response claimed an apology had already been offered — which he disputes — and that further correspondence is not anticipated.
He asked colleagues to join him in asking the Scouts to apologise and urged that there should be an independent investigation into the circumstances of the death. The minister described the case as very sad and very shocking for the family and said any apology should be full, comprehensive and without conditions.
Incident details
In December 2015 Aoife Winterlich, who was 14, went on a trip organised by Scouting Ireland to Hookhead. There was no assessment of the risks, it was a very stormy day, there was no guidance, there was no warning, and there was nobody watching, and Aoife was swept out to sea and died.
Legal acknowledgement and timeline
Murphy noted that it took eight years and a court case being brought for Scouting Ireland to finally acknowledge liability in this circumstance. A respondent in the debate said the matter had been through the courts and involved a full assessment during that process.
Apology and correspondence
Murphy said the Scouts have offered an apology for the tragic loss of the daughter but not for their role in that loss. He described ongoing correspondence with the Scouts, saying their last response claimed an apology had already been offered — which he disputes — and that further correspondence is not anticipated.
Calls for action
He asked colleagues to join him in asking the Scouts to apologise and urged that there should be an independent investigation into the circumstances of the death. The minister described the case as very sad and very shocking for the family and said any apology should be full, comprehensive and without conditions.
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Transcript
In December 2015, Aoife Winterlich, who was 14, went on a trip organised by Scouting Ireland. They went to Hookhead, where there was no assessment of the risks, it was a very stormy day, there was no guidance, there was no warning, there was nobody watching, and Aoife was swept out to sea and died. It took eight years and a court case being brought for Scouting Ireland to finally acknowledge liability in this circumstance. The Scouts have failed to offer an apology for their failure in their duty of care to Anne Winterlich's daughter. They have offered an apology for the tragic loss of her daughter, but not for their role in the tragic loss of their daughter. I have been in correspondence with the Scouts on this, and the last response I had was to say that they want to confirm an apology has already been offered, which it has not been, and therefore we do not anticipate further correspondence. I would like to ask whether you would join with me in asking the Scouts to apologise, and whether you agree we need to have an independent investigation into the circumstance of the death. First of all, it is a very sad and very shocking situation for the family of Aoife Winterlich, and I do believe that a full comprehensive apology should be given in respect of this. My understanding is this has been in the courts as well, and there would have been a full sort of assessment of this during the courts process. But in my view, when something like this happens, the response should be fulsome, and it should be without conditions.