The family of murdered teenager Daniel McAnaspie today accused health chiefs of ignoring his cries for help.
The 17-year-old, whose body was found in a field last week three months after going missing, was in and out of state care and had left school early. “If they had have listened maybe Daniel would have been still here today,” his sister Catriona said.
The family said he wanted to learn to read and write and the Health Service Executive (HSE) would not cover costs. They said they tried to get him into new schools after their parents died – his mother in 1996 and father in 2000 – but no one would enrol him.
The family said Daniel faced a daily battle to find a bed for the night, turning up at garda stations at 8pm asking for help and often ending up being assaulted and picked on in hostels housing grown men. The McAnaspies also claimed health chiefs branded him a street child.
The family accused the HSE of failing to listen to their concerns over Daniel’s welfare after their parents died leaving six youngsters behind.
“He wanted a proper home,” Catriona said. “They just threw him around from place to place. He wanted help but they wouldn’t give him as much as he needed.”
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