The Taoiseach has told the Dáil that no deal was done with Sinn Féin for temporary releases for those convicted of killing Garda Gerry McCabe. He said that normal procedures had been followed before granting them compassionate parole. Mr Ahern said that he understood that releases could distress the family of victims so he had asked that in this case, the family of Garda McCabe and the local Gardaí be informed of any releases.
Yesterday, RTÉ News revealed that one of the killers of Detective McCabe, who was granted temporary release to visit his sick mother, spent a night in a hotel with a woman. A second man released to visit his sick father was found in a pub in Donegal when it was raided by the Gardaí after hours. The Garda Representative Association has strongly criticised the insensitivity of the Department of Justice in releasing the men who it says are clearly abusing the system of temporary release.
Fine Gael’s spokesperson on Justice, Michael Noonan, described the temporary release of the men as “quite appalling”. Mr Noonan said that he had been informed that the decision to release prisoners was founded on letters from general practitioners, which in each case claimed that a close relative of each prisoner was seriously ill.
