Garda criticised over leaks to media

Going back two decades to year 2000

Mon, Jul 10, 2000, 01:00 Up Dated by Fred Bassett  

Stung by the Minister for Justice’s refusal to be interviewed by it, the Longford Leader has criticised the “well organised” handling of leaks to the national media concerning the killing of John Carthy, who was shot by a Garda marksman in April.

Through spin-doctoring, “the Garda Siochana and/or people working on their behalf have laid the groundwork for absolving any of their members from responsibility for the killing of John Carthy,” the newspaper claimed.

“Nobody will be surprised to learn that one police force, the FBI, have cleared another police force, the Garda, of any wrong-doing in connection with John Carthy’s death,” it stated, adding for emphasis, “surprise, surprise”.

“The leaking of the Culligan report’s findings and the FBI report was bad enough in itself but whoever did the leaking also availed of their access to the media to blacken the good name of John Carthy, his sister Marie and his mother Rose by implying various things which the people of Abbeylara know to be blatant untruths,” it stated.