It's time the State said sorry to my murdered dad

Prison officer Brian Stack was murdered at the height of the Troubles. The State has never apologised for the failures in investigating his case. It's time to right that wrong, says his son Austin Stack

Prison officer Brian Stack was shot in the back of the head in March 1983 as he walked from the National Boxing Stadium after the national senior finals and died 18 months later from his injuries.

Last Thursday, as I walked through my local shopping centre in Portlaoise, something unusual happened. I had gone to the shopping centre to sign copies of my new book, Justice For My Father. As I was walking back through the main shopping area, a young man in a tracksuit approached me — he was probably no more than 20. As he reached me, he held out his hand and said “alright Mr Stack”. 

Anybody who has ever worked in a prison will tell you this is the greeting prison officers usually get from ex-prisoners if you meet them outside the prison environment. So I wasn’t surprised when the young man told me he had served a few very short sentences.