Gardaí threaten to walk out of tribunal

GARDAÍ involved in the Abbeylara siege are threatening to walk out on the Barr Tribunal when it resumes this morning unless chairman, Justice Robert Barr, makes a peace offering to their senior counsel, John Rogers, who quit the hearings in protest last month.

The 36 uniformed gardaí and members of the Emergency Response Unit have written to Justice Barr demanding assurances that Mr Rogers can continue his cross-examination of witnesses without interference from the chairman and that the gardaí collectively will get a fair hearing.

The stand-off could jeopardise the entire tribunal which is about to enter a key phase, examining the training and experience of members of the gardaí and ERU in handling situations such as Abbeylara, and comparing their approach with that of police abroad.