Newspaper under fire over garda death coverage

THERE was widespread condemnation yesterday of newspaper reporting linking the death of a female garda during childbirth to the part her husband played in the shooting of John Carthy in the Abbeylara siege.

Angered colleagues, family and friends of the late Tania Corcoran heavily criticised a front page Sunday Independent story. The article, printed the same day as her burial, noted her husband Aidan McCabe was also the garda who fired the shot that killed Mr Carthy.

In a statement, Garda Commissioner Noel Conroy deemed coverage linking the tragic death with the Abbeylara siege, as “disgusting, insensitive and hurtful.”

Sergeant Tania Corcoran, aged 34, died following the birth of twin boys in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital on Friday, 12 hours after a Caesarean section. One of the boys, Zach, also died. The second boy, Adam, is in a critical condition and health chiefs are carrying out a review into her death.

The day her husband buried her, a Sunday Independent headline read: “Garda who lost wife and son in childbirth shot John Carthy”. The newspaper noted Garda McCabe, a member of the Emergency Response Unit, was exonerated by a tribunal inquiry into John Carthy’s death. But garda chiefs were incensed by the link.

“Tania was a woman, a wife and a mother and her occupation, which in no way contributed to her tragic death, is irrelevant. Likewise, her husband, Aidan, is also a member of An Garda Síochána and this fact, coupled with any aspect of his career in An Garda Síochána, was irrelevant to the death of his wife and son and any references to that were unnecessary.

“The loss of Tania is felt far and wide within An Garda Síochána, but the pain, hurt and suffering of her husband and family is beyond words. For some media outlets to capitalise on this tragedy in the most tasteless manner is obscene,” read a statement on behalf of Commissioner Conroy.

The statement, also on behalf of the Corcoran and McCabe families and the force, described the “absolute abhorrence at the manner in which this human tragedy was reported by some media outlets.”

Reacting to the coverage, the sister of John Carthy sent her condolences. Marie Carthy was aware the husband was involved at Abbeylara.

She said her sympathy lay “totally and absolutely” with Ms Corcoran’s family.

“My heart goes out to them. It’s a terrible tragedy to happen to any family. I became aware on Saturday that Garda McCabe was involved in the Abbeylara shooting.”

She said it was “a very tough time” for the family and it was a “very difficult” day when the issue was highlighted on Sunday.

Colleagues and friends who called RTÉ’s Liveline, including Tania Corcoran’s bridesmaid, said the article was “an absolute disgrace.”

The outrage follows comments by the Association of Garda Sergeants (AGSI), which earlier said some headlines on the tragic death were “brutal and callous.”

The AGSI wants media groups to draw up protocols for dealing with tragic events in future.

The Garda Representative Association also condemned the media coverage.