The father of a young Cork woman murdered in Jury's Inn, Limerick, has said he believes the hotel failed to provide a safe place of work for his daughter.
Mr Michael Dillon made his comments today during the inquest into the death of his 24 year-old daughter, Grainne, who was shot dead by a fellow employee on January 5th, 2002.
Portugese national, Paulo Nascimento, is serving a life sentence after pleading guilty to shooting the former Duty Manager three times at point blank range with a single barrelled shotgun.
At today's inquest at Limerick City Hall, Mr Dillon told the coroner's court that it was the family's first opportunity to hear any evidence in the case following Nascimento's guilty plea.
Following Mr Dillon's statement to the coroner's court, counsel for the Jury's/Doyle hotel group, Mr Brian O' Moore, SC, said that the Health and Safety Authority had carried out a full investigation and concluded that the hotel did not have a case to answer.
Inspector John Scanlan gave evidence to the inquest that Paulo Nascimento had stolen a single-barrelled shotgun and 18 ammunition cartridges from a house in Castletroy, Limerick, on January 3rd, 2002.
In the early hours of January 5th, 2002, Nascimento stole €3,313 from the hotel safe and then confronted Grainne Dillon in the restaurant area where she was preparing the float, Inspector Scanlan told the inquest.
The Portugese national, who had been working as a night porter in the hotel for only six days, forced Ms Dillon into the kitchen and ordered her to empty her pockets.
Inspector Scanlan said it was his belief that Ms Dillon was not going to allow herself to be robbed and that as she attempted to walk away Nascimento shot her at point blank range.
Moments later, he shot Ms Dillon again as she sat slumped in a chair in the store room and he later returned to fire a final round at the woman who was already bleeding heavily.
Nascimento deposited a holdall bag with the cash and gun and Grainne's personal items in a laneway some distance away from the hotel and Inspector Scanlan said he believed the murderer had planned to recover the items before leaving Ireland and returning home to Portugal.
At 5.45 a.m. Nascimento turned up at Henry Street garda station and reported that there had been a shooting in the hotel.
He was later arrested and charged with Grainne Dillon's murder.