Helen Barrett, mother of Private Kevin James Barrett, was last week informed by gardaí that no criminal proceedings are likely to be brought in relation to her son's fatal shooting, following a year-long garda inquiry.

Private Barrett, 21, from Letterkenny, Co Donegal, died from a single gunshot wound to the head while serving in south Lebanon, while two colleagues were in his sleeping quarters. He was found dead in the sleeping quarters of an observation post at the 84th Infantry Battalion Unifil base in Bra'Shit on 17 February 1999.

His service rifle lay beside his body. The internal military police investigation noted that the shooting "was accidental and that no physical evidence was found to suggest that Barrett had any intention of committing suicide." Unifil investigators concluded it was a tragic accident, however, the military inquiry into the killing did not amount to "an effective investigation, " said senior counsel Sean D Hurley in a report to defence minister Willie O'Dea. The report also focused on the condition of the dead soldier's remains prior to arriving back in Ireland for burial.

O'Dea subsequently referred all files on the case to the gardaí. Helen Barrett told the Sunday Tribune she was "completely baffled" at the garda findings.

Hurley's inquiry was sparked by pressure from the dead man's family. Helen Barrett told the Sunday Tribune in a 2004 interview that she received information from several of her son's colleagues indicating that his death was linked to a dispute with another member of the Unifil battalion on duty in Lebanon.