Ferris defends meeting with McCabe killers

Sinn Féin’s Martin Ferris today stood by his controversial decision to meet the killers of Detective Garda Jerry McCabe on their release from prison.

The Kerry TD, also a former IRA prisoner, claimed he was trying to dampen media hype by greeting Pearse McCauley and Kevin Walsh on their release from Castlerea jail last week.

“Obviously the intent was to try and diffuse the whole situation and have less media attention as possible on it,” Mr Ferris said.

“I was there for the lads coming home.”

Mr Ferris, who was attending the party’s Ard Chomhairle in Navan, said he had consistently dealt with prisoners since the Good Friday Agreement.

He also denied a party event taking place next month in Kerry had been organised to celebrate the pair’s release, insisting it was a fundraising venture.

The men had been jailed for the shooting dead of Det Garda McCabe in an armed robbery in Co Limerick in 1996.

The officer was shot about 15 times with a Kalashnikov assault rifle.

The pair were the last of the five men jailed for the robbery to be released and had served three-quarters of their 14-year sentences.