Legal aid for Carthy gardaí

NINE members of the Garda Emergency Response Unit have been granted full legal representation at the Abbeylara Tribunal which is to investigate the shooting dead of John Carthy by the unit almost three years ago.

Twenty-nine other gardaí up to the rank of inspector were also granted full representation at a sitting of the High Court yesterday as was the Garda Commissioner Pat Byrne in his capacity as head of the force.

The High Court ruling by tribunal chairman Justice Robert Barr allows the 36 named officers, separately from Commissioner Byrne, to be represented collectively by a firm of solicitors, two senior counsel and one junior counsel for the entire duration of the inquiry.