HC Deb 27 February 1896 vol 37 cc1245-6
MR. JASPER TULLY (Leitrim, S.)

I beg to ask the Lord Advocate, whether his attention has been directed to a complaint made by Mr. Gilheany, of Gubnaveagh, Ballinamore, county Leitrim, that his son, Hugh Gilheany, was killed in Scotland, in the month of June, 1894, while in the employment of Messrs. Duncan and Sons, of Glasgow; that the police officer belonging to the Southern Police Station, in Glasgow, found on deceased's body the key of his trunk, and gave this key over to strangers without communicating with his relatives in Ireland; and, whether he will direct that a full Return of the property left by deceased and taken charge of by the police be furnished to his father in Ireland?

THE LORD ADVOCATE

My attention was only called to this complaint by the hon. Member's Question. I have made inquiry, and find that in June, 1894, the deceased, a labourer, aged 22, was engaged in raising stones at a building in course of erection, and was, unfortunately, killed by a crane accident. The key of his trunk was found on his person, but it was not given over to strangers, as stated in the Question. It was handed to his cousin, Michael Deans, his only relative in Glasgow. His father was telegraphed for, and came over from Ireland next day, and the landlady told the police that she saw Deans hand over all the deceased's property to his father. Some time afterwards the father wrote to the police, asking them to make inquiry as to other property which he suspected the deceased had. On inquiry they could find no evidence of his having possessed anything beyond what had been handed over to his father, and they wrote to the father to that effect. Since then, so far as my information goes, nothing has been heard of the matter, and, as the police were never in charge of the property, I am afraid it is impossible to give the Return asked for.