Gardaí ‘made critical mistakes’

THE GARDA investigation into the 1974 Monaghan/Dublin bombings made a number of critical mistakes and failed to probe all avenues of investigation.

According to the Barron Report into the atrocity: "The garda investigation failed to make full use of the information it obtained. Certain lines of inquiry that could have been pursued further in this jurisdiction were not pursued."

In addition, Justice Barron pointed to numerous failures on the part of investigating gardaí including:

A delay of 11 days before forensic evidence was sent for testing in Belfast.

The absence of any transport record for evidence resulting in likely evidence contamination.

The failure to show witnesses photos and photo-fits of suspects.

A decision not to investigate suspects in the North despite RUC invitations to do so.

The speedy completion of investigations within 12 weeks.

Criticising the investigation, Justice Barron said its main weakness was the failure of gardaí to act quickly.

"Whatever evidence there might have been as to the movements of suspects, if this information had been sought within a week or two of the bombings, it is quite clear that months later any such information was unlikely to be of value," the report reads.

However, despite a failure to act quickly in gathering information on witness movements, gardaí wrapped up their inquiries just weeks after the atrocity.

According to yesterday's report, by July 9, 1974 less than eight weeks after the May 17 bombings the chief superintendent in charge of the investigation had noted: "The investigation unit ... have returned to their stations."

The Monaghan investigation report was subsequently issued on July 7 while the Dublin report was finished on August 9.

Justice Barron also found the handling of forensic evidence was far from satisfactory. "There is no doubt that the delay in delivering samples for forensic analysis fatally compromised the forensic investigation," he wrote.

Even senior ballistics officers were unaware that reliable detection of volatile organic components could only be done within six hours of an explosion taking place, he found.

Justice Minister Michael McDowell said it was "a matter of regret" that the report had drawn attention to inadequacies in the garda investigations. But he welcomed the report's publication. A garda spokesman declined to comment until the report had been studied in detail.