Reputation of the gardaí battered by tribunals and politicians

RETIRED Detective Inspector Gerry O’Carroll persists in maintaining that the gardaí were right in the assumption that Joanne Hayes was the mother of the two babies at the centre of the Kerry Babies case in 1984.

That was the start of the flood of tribunals. It may have been relatively inexpensive in comparison with what has been happening since, but it still cost a small fortune and it accomplished very little.

The gardaí were suspected of having botched the investigation into the discovery of a new-born infant who had been stabbed to death and was washed up near Caherciveen.