FRESH demands for answers have been issued into how the authorities allowed a Llanelli teenager to return to the care of drug-abusing members of her family, 10 days before she died.

Carly Townsend died while in the care of her mother, Andrea, and half-sister, Gemma Evans, on May 3, 2007, at the family home in Bassett Terrace, Pwll.

Her death followed her release from Neath's Hillside Secure Unit, and came just hours after she was visited by a social worker. No official explanation into whether Carly's death could, or should, have been prevented by social workers has ever been given.

A review of the case was launched and pledges have been made that the results will be published.

But it is now 33 months since the tragedy and nothing has been made public.

This week a spokesman for the Swansea Safeguarding Children's Board, which has been tasked with holding and inquiry into the death, said: "The report on Carly Townsend will be published in due course."

But local councillor Mari Davies is angry that it has taken so long. "It's high time they made their report public," she said.

"The report can provide guidelines for future policy and on how such a sad death can be avoided in the future."

She said she hoped the "redeeming factor of the delay would be that the report was very thorough".

But Councillor Davies pointed out: "It could have been providing guidance in future policy if it had come out sooner. Perhaps such tragedies could be averted in the future by the information that this report may contain."

Councillor Davies believes mistakes must have been made. "Perhaps if Carly hadn't been allowed back into that environment she could have been more easily weaned off heroin," she added.

Carly's mum, Andrea Townsend, and half-sister, Gemma Evans, were convicted of manslaughter by gross negligence.

They failed to call an ambulance as the 16-year-old lay dying at the family home after injecting herself with heroin.

shaun.greaney@swwmedia.co.uk

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