Garda Commissioner apologises to family of John Carthy

The Garda Commissioner has reportedly apologised to the family of John Carthy over the fatal shooting of the 27-year-old in Co Longford more than six years ago.

Mr Carthy was shot dead by armed gardaí following a 24-hour siege at his home in Abbeylara in April 2000.

Last month, the Barr Tribunal into the incident criticised a litany of failures by gardaí during the stand-off, saying the scene commanders were "primarily responsible".

Reports this morning say the Carthy family have confirmed that they have received an apology from Garda Commissioner Noel Conroy in which he stated he was "truly apologetic for the loss of John's life".