Gardaí 'wrong' to deny Carthy plea for cigarettes

GARDAÍ were wrong to deny John Carthy's request for cigarettes during the armed stand-off that led to his death, a psychiatrist told the tribunal.

Dr David Shanley, who was Mr Carthy's psychiatrist for five years before he died, said the young plasterer smoked about 30 cigarettes a day and up to 50 in times of stress. Being deprived of them would have made him more tense and irritable and harder to communicate with.

He understood the strategy of using the request as a bargaining tool, but said it would have diffused the situation and demonstrated goodwill if the gardaí had given him the cigarettes without conditions.