State archives: AG believed Garda killer would serve full sentence

Garda killer Michael McHugh, who was released at the start of this month after serving 30 years of a 40-year prison sentence, was branded a reckless but highly intelligent criminal in Government documents.

Papers released by the National Archives under the 30-year rule reveal how the Attorney General’s office, justice chiefs and the Taoiseach’s department felt sure he would see out four decades behind bars.

The jail term was imposed after then president Patrick Hillery signed an order on December 20, 1985, which commuted McHugh’s death sentence to 40 years in prison.