The parents of an Irish girl who nearly burned to death have accused the Government of failing to help them get justice for their child.
Liam and Sinead Soffe had their lives changed in 2014 after an air conditioning unit set their six-month old daughter Elizabeth on fire while living in Qatar.
The child, now five, was left severely scarred by the horrific incident.
Liam said: “This happened five years ago and we are still fighting to get justice.
“Simon Coveney came along and met with us in London to discuss Elizabeth’s case and told us it would be a priority for the Department of Foreign Affairs.
“He did write a letter to the Qatar foreign minister and engaged with them to find out what investigation had been done but the Qataris replied and said it was ‘an act of God’ and the investigation was done. That was nearly two years ago and in our opinion the department hasn’t done enough.
“The Government are failing Elizabeth. I think writing two letters over five years isn’t enough.”
The family, originally from Dublin, made the move to Qatar where Liam worked as a civil engineer ahead of the 2022 World Cup.
Sinead told of the terrifying moment she found Elizabeth on fire and said within minutes the room was alight. She added: “She had 60% full thickness burns so 60% of her body is deeply scarred and burned.”
The couple revealed Elizabeth lost her fingers, hair, an ear and part of her nose, was severely burned and will need lifelong treatment.
Sinead told Jennifer Zamparelli on RTE 2FM her daughter has undergone multiple nine-hour operations in a special burn unit in Birmingham.
The couple and their three other children have now settled in the English city so they can access the best care for Elizabeth.
No one has ever been held responsible for the fire.
Liam said: “We found out the police closed the investigation the day we left Qatar and that was before the fire report was finished.
“It’s quite clear the police report says the fire was started because of incorrect installation of an air con unit.
“Pushing for answers takes up a huge part of our time and emotional attention trying to get closure so we can move on with our lives.”
