Warrant was out for arrest of main suspect in murder case

THE BITTER political row sparked by Donna Cleary’s murder escalated last night as Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny insisted the young mother would still be alive if ministers had given gardaí the resources to enact an outstanding arrest warrant on her suspected killer.

Mr Kenny accused the Government of presiding over a law and order shambles as parts of Dublin slid into “street anarchy”, in a second day of heated Dáil exchanges.

He seized on news that Dwayne Foster, the man believed to have fired the fatal shots that killed the 22-year-old mother-of-one, was at large despite a bench warrant being issued against him.

Tánaiste Mary Harney responded by saying a “dangerous, evil man” was to blame for the killing, not lack of garda resources.

“Donna Cleary was not in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Mr Kenny said.

“She was gunned down by a criminal who should have been in jail.

“No one has explained why he was not in jail. He had a conviction, lost his appeal and there was a bench warrant for his arrest.

“The Tánaiste’s Government did not supply the resources to the garda to implement the bench warrant. If it had been implemented, Donna Cleary would be alive,” the Fine Gael leader told the Dáil.

Ms Harney, standing in for Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, made it clear that a bench warrant was not the same as a committal warrant which would see the person named taken straight to prison.

“Responsibility for this dreadful tragedy lies not with An Garda Síochána but with an evil and dangerous man. That is the reality,” she told fellow TDs.

“He must take personal responsibility. There was a bench warrant but no committal warrant.

“There is a significant difference between a bench warrant to arrest somebody and a committal warrant to have somebody put in jail.

“The reason the woman is dead is not because the gardaí failed or do not have enough resources, but that we have too many dangerous and evil people in our midst.

“No Government has introduced more legislation in this area.”

The spat followed on from a bruising Dáil session on Tuesday in which Mr Ahern strongly denied he had tried to blame the judiciary for imposing lenient sentences.

However, despite saying that murderers should serve longer sentences, Mr Ahern made it clear the Government has no plans to bring in more extensive prison terms.

A garda spokeswoman said a bench warrant allows a named individual to be arrested and brought before a court, while a committal warrant would see the person taken straight to jail.