Gardaí have recovered a stolen €20,000 specialised communication device belonging to a young Dublin girl, but her family faces fresh heartbreak after discovering the equipment was returned broken and non-functional.

The eye-gaze system, which is Cadhla’s sole means of communication, was stolen from a car parked near Temple Street Children’s Hospital last week.

Garda Sarah and Garda Carla from Mountjoy Garda Station tracked down and returned the device this weekend.

However, the initial relief quickly turned to grief when the family realised the specialised eye-tracker is no longer functioning and access to its custom software has been wiped.

Nine months of progress lost

The high-tech system required nine months of ‘painstaking’ intensive programming, specialised therapy, and thousands of euros in investment to tailor every button and response to Cadhla’s specific needs.

‘Her device is home, but her communication software is no longer accessible, and her eye-gaze system isn’t functioning,’ Cadhla’s mum said.

‘Nine months of painstaking work, countless hours of therapy, thousands of euro invested…

‘We now have to wait to find out what can be recovered.’

Praise for Gardaí

Despite the setback with the equipment, the family expressed deep gratitude to the gardaí who pursued the case following widespread public outrage over the theft.

‘These two women didn’t just see a stolen device,’ her mum shared. ‘They saw a little girl who had been deprived of her means of communication. They understood what was at stake, and they never stopped trying to bring it home.’

The family confirmed that while having the physical unit back is positive, the fight to restore Cadhla’s ability to communicate remains.

‘There is still a long road ahead, and this is far from over.’