The mother of a Co Down man who fell to his death from the fourth-floor bedroom of his holiday hotel in Ibiza launched a legal bid yesterday for an inquest to be held in Northern Ireland. Clifford Forde (21), from Holywood, was on holiday with 16 friends when he died on July 13th last year.
The Attorney General has refused to order senior coroner John Leckey to hold an inquest, but in the High Court Mr Justice Gillen granted leave for a judicial review of the decision.
The case was brought by Christine Forde, of Kinnegar Court, Holywood, who stated in an affidavit that she believed the conclusion reached by the Spanish authorities that her son committed suicide resulted from an unsatisfactory investigation.
She said that although statements were taken from three of her son's holiday friends, no statement was taken from his room mate. She also stated that no statement had been taken from her son's GP and no attempt had been made to obtain his medical notes and records.
"To the best of my knowledge, Clifford was never treated for any form of psychiatric or addiction condition or ailment," she stated. Ms Forde's statement went on: "While blood samples were taken from my son by the Spanish authorities, no results were ever obtained or taken into account by the authorities in order to assist in the conclusion of their investigation.
"The statements taken from three colleagues suggested that my son had become paranoid, had taken an overdose to take his own life and this was precipitated by difficult personal circumstances.
"I can only say that at the time that my son went on holiday he did not suffer from paranoia; he did not demonstrate any such tendencies; he was a normal healthy young man who did not, to the best of my knowledge, take drugs, and if I am wrong about that he was not given to demonstrate any form of irrational, paranoid or suicidal behaviour. As Clifford's devoted mother the court will excuse me if I maintain my view that my son did not and would never have committed suicide."
The judicial review will be heard next month.