Stack family call for Adams to reveal details of father’s killer
Mr Adams was also accused by the Stack family last night of lying, after he gave a statement in the Dáil about what he knew about the murder of prison guard Brian Stack in 1983.
The party leader now faces growing pressure to co-operate with gardaí, to reveal the names of any individuals with knowledge about the killing and to also ask Sinn Féin figures to answer questions.
After an extraordinary set of events in Leinster House last night, the two sons of the slain prison officer told how they were brought by Mr Adams to a secret rendezvous with the IRA in 2013, in their quest to investigate their father’s killing. At one stage, they were switched near Dundalk from a car into a blacked-out van. Austin Stack, one of the son’s of the deceased explained: “It had plywood screwed into the walls, into the windows, the partition, so we couldn’t see out. We were taken for about 10 minutes in that van. It was up on the border.”
It was there the Stack sons met an IRA figure with a statement confirming the IRA were responsible for the shooting of their father. The IRA man said he knew the identity of the killers.
Mr Adams last night told the Dáil he had tried to help the Stack family in 2013 but that the names of IRA officials needed to be kept secret for the sake of the peace process. He reiterated that four names he gave to gardaí ths year about the murder were given to him by Austin Stack. Mr Stack denies this and said he personally confronted Mr Adams in the corridors of Leinster House last night and called him a liar after the Sinn Féin’s leader statement. Mr Stack said Mr Adams must name the IRA man they met who knew the identity of their father’s killers.
“Deputy Adams knows the name of the individual who we met. That individal has information that is pertinent to a live murder investigation. Deputy Adams did not address that in his statement. He did not confirm he will talk to gardaí and hand over the name of an individual who says he knows the people who killed my father, who knows where those people are and knows they are alive.”
Mr Stack also addressed the fact two Sinn Féin TDs were named in the Dáil following Mr Adams’ statement on the Stack murder.
Sinn Féin TDs Dessie Ellis and Martin Ferris criticised the fact they were named by Fine Gael TD Alan Farrell. Both deny any involvement in the murder.
Austin Stack said he believed Dep Ellis had “no hand, act or part” in his father’s killing. Mr Stack said he was aware Dep Ferris was questioned by gardaí in relation to the killing in 2013. This was also confirmed in the Dáil by Dep Ferris.
Austin Stack though said the issue was that Mr Adams was refusing to reveal the name of the IRA man they had met.
“Deputy Adams knows this man very well and he is not prepared to give his name to the gardaí. This calls into question our whole democracy that a man can go into the Dáil chamber and say he [is] quite clearly refusing to give the name of a murder suspect to the gardai. It’s disgraceful.”
