Garda murder probe ‘failed miserably’

MAJOR question marks remain over the garda handling of the probe into the most brutal murders in Irish criminal history.

After more than five years and 20 adjournments, the inquest into the savage Grangegorman murders of Sylvia Shields, 59, and her friend Mary Callinan, 61, finally got underway yesterday.

And what emerged yesterday cast the gardaí into further controversy.

The solicitor representing Sylvia Shield's sister, Stella Nolan, heavily criticised the gardaí. Michael Finucane said many of the 20 adjournments were made because of continuing garda attempts to investigate and prosecute the murders, attempts which he said "failed and failed miserably". Barry Coffey, senior counsel on behalf of the Garda Commissioner, described these remarks as "gratuitous and inflammatory".

It has already emerged the gardaí got the wrong man for the murder initially imprisoning heroin addict Dean Lyons for nine months after he signed a false confession.

Lyons, a young, "educationally slow" man, had signed a confession in Bridewell Garda Station but the authorities later released him and dropped the charges.

In August 1997, months before Lyons was released, double murderer Mark Nash made a statement claiming to have been in the Grangegorman house the night the women were murdered and providing details only gardaí knew about.

It was never publicly explained why Lyons was left in jail months after the gardaí knew he had not committed the killings. Lyons later died in a British prison of an overdose.

Nash yesterday refused to attend the inquest to give evidence.

Michael Finucane, solicitor for Stella Nolan, demanded the inquest court hear Nash's statement, and the signed confession by Dean Lyons.

Mr Finucane said he could not fully represent his client unless the statements were released.

Mr Coffey, for the gardaí, argued there was sufficient material to conclude how and when the victims died and come to a verdict. Mr Coffey later said if the material at issue was discussed it could imperil a future trial. The issue will be raised today before Dublin coroner Brian Farrell as Mark Nash's lawyers have been called to court. Nash is serving life for the murder of his girlfriend's sister Catherine Doyle and her husband Carl in August 1997.