Adams repeats call for inquiry into Garda death
LOUTH TD and former Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams TD has expressed his concern that the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) has been forced to go to the High Court seeking transcripts of the occasions on which Crevan Mackin’s case was dealt with by the Special Criminal Court. As it emerged that the GSOC lodged papers concerning the case in the High Court last Monday, he repeated his call for a public inquiry into the events leading up to the incident which led to the death of Omeath based Garda Tony Golden.
Last year, GSOC opened a ‘public interest investigation’ into Crevan Mackin’s interactions with gardaí prior to Gda Golden’s murder.
The investigation is examining whether gardaí acted appropriately upon their knowledge about his access to firearms and explosives, ‘including taking measures to mitigate the serious risk that this potentially posed to Siobhán Phillips, the general public and members of the Garda Síochána’, GSOC said.
Deputy Adams recalled ‘Crevan Mackin shot dead Garda Tony Golden in October 2015. He also shot and grievously wounded Siobhan Philips, before killing himself.’‘Crevan Mackin was previously arrested in January 2015 in possession of explosives and firearms, which he admitted. He was not charged with these offences but instead with an offence he had denied. It is also believed that some in An Garda Síochána knew he had access to other weapons.
‘All of this is clear from a file that was sent to me and which I gave to the investigating officer in the Garda, to GSOC, to the former and current Taoiseach and to the former and current Minister of Justice.
He said that after he raised his concerns with GSOC and provided to it the information he had received, GSOC announced last April that it was going to initiate a public interest investigation into these matters.
‘Why has GSOC been forced to go to the High Court to get the transcripts of cases involving Crevan Mackin, his relationship with An Garda Síochána, and the circumstances around his successful bail application?’ he asked.
‘ There is clearly a serious matter of public accountability that must be addressed. The Philips family are seeking a full public inquiry into all of the circumstances surrounding this case. In light of the difficulties GSOC is facing and the delay in the publication of the Garda review into the case the Minister for Justice should establish a public inquiry.’