Irish police have announced a review of the death of a baby boy, known as 'Baby John', whose body was found with 28 stab wounds on a beach in County Kerry in 1984. The case, which became one of the most divisive sagas in modern Irish history, led to a tribunal that highlighted flaws in the police investigation and societal attitudes towards single mothers at the time.
Baby John was discovered at White Strand beach, Cahersiveen, on 14 April 1984. A 24-year-old woman, Joanne Hayes, was initially accused of his murder, but the charge was later dropped. The Kerry Babies Tribunal found that she could not have been the mother of Baby John, a conclusion now reinforced by modern DNA profiling.
At a press conference on Tuesday, police formally apologised to Ms Hayes for the stress and pain she suffered. The review will use contemporary forensic techniques to build a DNA profile, which has already confirmed that she is not the mother. The investigation into the identity of Baby John's parents remains open.
The case unfolded in a very different Ireland, where attitudes to sex outside marriage were harsh, divorce was illegal, and an anti-abortion amendment had been added to the constitution. The garda treatment of Ms Hayes focused attention on women's rights at the time. Since then, divorce has been legalised, same-sex marriage introduced, and a referendum on abortion is expected later this year.
Baby John was buried in a cemetery in Cahersiveen, with an inscription on his grave reading: 'I am the Kerry baby baptised on 14-4-1984 named John. I forgive.'
